#rushing to walgreens to get this printed | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

justagalwhowrites · 11 months

Text

Lavender - Ch. 24

You embark on a new relationship and find out problems about an old one. A continuation of Lavender Ch. 1-23 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Reader

Warnings: Just angst :) No use of Y/N. Whole fic is violent and smutty so Minors DNI. 18+ only

Length: 5.5k

Saturday, February 6, 2016 - Six Months Later

“Hey, be careful, you’re gonna break it if you keep pulling on it like that,” Derek rushed over, delicately pulling the camera from your hands.

“Wasn’t going to break it,” you said, defensive. “These hands work with surgical precision, sir, I was just… leveraging it.”

“Leveraging it the wrong way,” he smiled at you, shaking his head. He pulled the back open the other direction. “My camera opens differently than yours. See?”

“I guess you’re the expert,” you rolled your eyes dramatically, smiling a little.

“So they tell me,” he kissed you lightly. Even in the red glow of his homemade dark room, Derek was handsome. “OK, next you have to load the film…”

He guided your hands through the process of getting your film set and ready before putting it into the chemical bath he had in plastic tubs in his bathtub. You sat on the edge of the tub, watching the pictures emerge. Andrew behind the front counter at the clinic, making a face at you and flipping you off. Jess standing profile and putting one hand against her growing stomach, her other one pointing at it as if to say “look what I did!” Derek looking out the window of your apartment with a cup of tea in his hand, lost in thought and unaware you were even taking his photo. Even one of Joel, raising his eyebrows at you as Tess leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling.

“I can’t believe we’re actually printing pictures right now!” You rapped your nails along the chipped surface of the tub, grinning broadly. “I’ve never made pictures before!”

“Truly a lost art form,” Derek smiled, sitting on the tub with his back against the wall, watching you.

“All I ever did was drop them off at the Walgreens photo lab,” you said. “This is more work but a lot fucking cooler.”

“Most cool things are a lot of work, unfortunately,” he said.

“Ain’t that the truth,” you smiled a little.

Derek and photography had become one of your favorite parts of life in the months since Tommy went out west with the Fireflies. You hadn’t really been looking for either one, just stumbled into both of them at once.

About a month after the explosion, Andrew and Jess invited you over for dinner. Andrew had asked with such formality - usually it was just “Hey we actually got some decent shit, want in” not “We were really hoping you could join us on Sunday night” - that you’d gone to Tess and traded a few ration cards for a bottle of wine. Jess burst out laughing when you came in with it, which made you frown. It wasn’t until you and Andrew each had a glass - Jess begging off every time you offered - that they said why.

“We’re pregnant!” Jess squealed it, grinning from ear to ear.

It took you a second to figure out how to respond. If this had been before the outbreak, you would have shrieked and hugged her and asked for every possible detail. Now, you looked between them, concerned.

“We figured the world might be fucked but you now what, we’re pretty happy we’re still around to live in it,” he said, holding Jess’ hand, an arm around her shoulders. “We could make life worth living for someone else too, right?”

You smiled, a small smile but a smile.

“You guys are going to be the most incredible parents,” you said, fighting back tears. “That baby… the luckiest baby on the planet.”

You ended up thinking a lot more about what like had been like before and what it could be like in the future after that. Beyond just the medicine of it or how to better equip your students, you started thinking about what things you’d wanted for your child when that was possible for you. Things like a nursery and baby pictures and colorful toys. You wanted to give that to them, or as much of it as you could, anyway.

So you’d started doing a little investigating in the underground markets, poking around to see what you could find to make those things happen. You met Derek in October when you were asking after Polaroid cameras at one of the stands.

“Really, if you can just set one aside for me if you ever find one,” you were saying to the seller. “I’ll pay even a markup of whatever you’d sell it for normally, that and whatever film you have for it…”

“Not gonna just sit on perfectly good product on the off chance you show up to buy it,” he said gruffly.

“It’s for my best friends’ baby pictures,” you said, pleading a little. “They’re pregnant and I know they’re going to want pictures, who wouldn’t want pictures of their baby?”

“If you want good baby pictures, you shouldn’t be looking for a polaroid, anyway,” the man who just came up to the stand said.

“Well I’m sure someone could take better pictures with a fancy camera,” you shrugged. “But it’s not like I have a darkroom at home.”

“I do,” he said.

“That doesn’t really help me though, does it?” You said, looking him up and down. He was handsome, his face sculpted, dark hair and light eyes, maybe a few years older than you with some salt and pepper starting in on his scruff.

“Yes it does,” he said. You raised your eyebrows at him. “I mean, I could… develop them for you. Or you can do it. I have all the stuff, I can… I could just give you some of it…”

“But I wouldn’t know how to use it,” you were smiling now. The man was getting gradually more and more flustered and it was hard to not find it charming.

“Well, I could teach you,” he said. “Just sometime. If you wanted to learn. I used to teach photography before the world went to hell, I promise I’m not a creepy weirdo trying to get you into his dark room.”

You laughed at that, you couldn’t help it.

“Look, if you buy,” he paused, looking over the man’s limited stock. “This camera body,” he set a Nikon that looked to be about as old as you down in front of you. “And this lens,” he grabbed one that really didn’t look any different than the others. “I will pick up the tab for five rolls of film and develop them for you.”

You turned to face him, crossing your arms and smiling.

“But how would I find you to get you the film?” You asked. “I don’t even know you.”

“Derek,” he held his hand out. You took it and gave him your name in return. “There, now we know each other. And you can give me your film…” he patted the pocket on his messenger bag until he found what he was looking for - a small notebook with a pen stuck in the spiral binding. He wrote something and tore the paper out, handing it to you. “When you meet me there at that date and time.”

It was in a week, at an address not too far from the clinic. You pursed your lips a little, resisting the urge to smile bigger.

“What if I’m busy then?” You asked. His face fell a little bit.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m really bad at this,” he scrambled for the notebook again but you laughed and stopped him.

“No, this is fine,” you said quickly. “I just really wanted to see what you’d do.”

He shook his head and smiled a little.

“Right, I deserved that,” he said, pulling out the ration cards to buy the film and handing them to the seller. He took them and gave the film directly to you. “So I’ll see you then?”

“This will all be a pricy dust collector if you don’t,” you smiled.

“Right, right,” he nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He turned to leave as you went to buy the rest of the camera, but then he turned, walking backwards past the other stalls.

“I mean that, just so you know,” he called to you. “Really looking forward to it. Like, a lot.”

You giggled like a school girl.

You’d spent the next week taking pictures of life around the QZ. It was strange at first, trying to figure out what to capture. You didn’t want to take pictures of nothing, that felt like a waste. But waiting until only the good things or only the important things happened would mean you wouldn’t have a full roll of pictures until who knows when and that would make your meeting with Derek pretty useless. Well, useless beyond the fact that he was handsome and charming and you’d like to see him again.

You filled up the roll of pictures and kept your fingers crossed Derek wouldn’t judge your lack of skills too harshly when he actually went to develop the film. When you met up with him, it was outside a warehouse where he worked. You’d ducked out on your evening break from the clinic, still in your lab coat.

“I would have come to you!” He said, his eyes a little wide when you came up. “I was trying to be nice and not ask you to provide a location, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable I wasn’t trying to pull you away from saving lives and things…”

“There’s a man bleeding to death right now but I figured, screw it, I have a date to keep,” you said, trying to keep your tone serious. Derek’s face fell for a moment before he glared at you.

“You’re cruel,” he smiled a little. You smiled back. “So I know you just came to surrender your film but I thought I could try to bribe you and see if I could convince you to have dinner with me. Call it a trade, you give me the film and I give you food. I also brought wine because I didn’t know you were a doctor who had to go save lives after seeing me…”

“Seems like you’re getting the short end of the stick here,” you said, handing him the canister of film. “I get dinner and developed pictures out of the deal.”

“Nah, see, I’ve conned you into giving me your time so, really, I’m coming out way ahead,” he smiled, leading you to a small grassy area alongside the warehouse, away from much of the sound of the streets of the QZ. He’d set out a blanket and put out a spread of jerky and dried fruit and bread and you sat there, talking, for close to an hour.

Derek had been a photography teacher in Maine during the outbreak and had been saved from being turned by the fact that he was newly divorced at the time, living on frozen dinners because cooking for one sounded miserable. He’d been at the Boston QZ since the middle of ’04 and taught a class at one of the other QZ schools - one of the schools for kids who weren’t wards of the state - about photography.

“It’s weird not teaching anyone how to shoot anymore,” he said. “It’s all history and composition and the like, none of the actual skill. Not like FEDRA is pumping out cameras and film.”

“I hear you,” you nodded. “You know how I teach frog dissection now? Diagrams. No actual frogs. It’s still surreal even though I’ve been doing it the FEDRA way far longer than I was the way I learned it.”

You glanced at your watch in passing and almost jumped up.

“Oh shit,” you said quickly. “I have to get back, I was only supposed to be gone like half an hour…”

“Think I can bring you back your prints when you’re a little less pressed for time?” He asked.

“Speakeasy, Sunday evening sound good?” You asked back.

“I’ll be there.”

Things with Derek were easy. Simple. He was sweet and understanding and seemed to be pretty crazy about you. The first time you made him cookies, he took a bite and grabbed you and kissed you on the mouth before his eyes went wide.

“I’m so sorry,” he said quickly. “I’ve been wanting to do that for about two weeks and this cookie is so damn good I just didn’t even stop to ask…”

You kissed him again just to calm him down.

“You’re really a natural at capturing people,” he said once all your photos were printed and spread out on his living room floor.

“Really?” You frowned, looking over the pictures.

“Oh yeah,” he nodded. “You know just when to get the shot and you frame it up well. There’s some technical stuff here and there, sure, but you’ve got the eye, Hon.”

He picked up the picture of Joel and Tess.

“This is a great one,” he said before he frowned a little. “Don’t think I’ve met them. New friends of yours?”

“The opposite,” you laughed a little. “I’ve known Joel… God, almost 20 years now. Jesus, I’m getting old. We just haven’t always talked during that time. We’re barely back on speaking terms now, trying not to rock the boat.”

“Sounds rough,” Derek frowned.

“In fairness, the world did end in there,” you shrugged. “So I think some slack is due.”

You’d been seeing Derek for more than three months and it was the first relationship you’d had that didn’t have the omnipresent cloud of Joel hanging overhead. With Tommy gone, he hadn’t come up. It made things easier. Your feelings weren’t different, they were just easier to take.

Since the explosion the year before, you and Joel had struck a somewhat uneasy balance. You were no longer precisely avoiding each other you just… weren’t really seeking each other out. But every now and then instances happened like last week, where Tess wanted to meet and Joel just… tagged along. He mostly just sat there quietly, drinking a beer while you and Tess chatted a bit about goings on around the QZ and things you might need from the outside to continue your research. You got notes from her on things they were encountering outside the walls and what would be helpful to help them survive. Joel just… watched you.

“Weird question,” you said as you finished your beer. “With Andrew and Jess expecting, I’ve decided to become the official photographer of the QZ’s greatest baby and have been practicing. Can I take a picture of you guys? I need more models.”

Joel looked like he was about to protest but Tess elbowed him.

“We’d be honored, Doc,” she said, leaning her head on Joel’s shoulder. You snapped the photo and smiled.

“I’ll give you a print when I’ve got them,” you said, stashing the camera away in your bag again.

“How are you developing that, anyway?” Tess asked as you gathered the rest of your things.

“Oh,” you glanced quickly at Joel before looking back to Tess. “My boyfriend is teaching me. He was a photography teacher before so he’s basically spent the last decade and a half just collecting photography things. Think he’s just happy to have a student again, to be honest.”

“A boyfriend,” Tess smirked at you. “You’ll have to tell me all about him next time we meet.”

“We’ll see if he sticks around once he’s got nothing left to teach me,” you winked at her. Joel was looking at you, eyebrows drawn together, jaw set firm. “Good to see you both. Let me know if you need anything before we see each other again.”

Joel’s eyes were on you until you left.

“I did make an extra print of this one,” Derek said, a little sheepishly, holding up a self portrait you’d taken in front of your mirror. It was after a long day at the clinic. You’d taken off everything but your tank top. Your hair was still braided, the ribbon hanging from the end only half tied and there were splotches of blood on your skin. You looked exhausted but determined. “If it’s OK with you, I’d like to keep it.”

“If that’s one you really want,” you shrugged. “Definitely better pictures of me out there. You should know, you’ve taken, like, all of them.”

“I like this one,” he said, half smiling a little. “I like seeing how you see yourself.”

“All yours then,” you said.

When you made it home that night, you took all the photos out, looking them over. You had extras of your friends to give to them but you kept coming back to the picture of Joel and Tess. The lines of his face were crisp and clear, the grays coming into his hair standing in sharp contrast to the darker strands. He was making eye contact with you through the camera, his dark gaze heavy even through the lens. You looked into his eyes now, the first time you’d really had a chance to in so long. You traced the outline of his face with your fingers before you put the print in your drawer, where it couldn’t make your heart ache until you let it.

You hadn’t expected to see Joel and Tess quite so soon, but when Elias called a full staff meeting Monday afternoon, you made a plan to go straight to Joel’s after the clinic closed.

“As of now,” Elias said, handing out sheets of paper. “FEDRA will no longer be manufacturing the following medications. We’ll have to find ways around treating the conditions addressed by these medications…”

“This is bullshit!” Kristen said, a pile of papers still in her hand. “This is going to fucking kill people!”

“I don’t agree with it,” Elias said. “But we don’t have a say. We’ve already gotten our last shipments of these medications…”

You reached around Joe, one of the nurses, to Kristen and tried to grab one of the papers.

“Sorry,” she whispered, handing you one. You looked at the list and frowned. The drugs you’d used when you were miscarrying were on the list. Your stomach churned.

“What are people supposed to do?” You asked, looking up from the list. “What’s the point of this?”

“They needed to reallocate manufacturing,” he sighed. “So we have to work around it.”

You hardly heard the rest of the meeting. You’d helped who even knew how many people miscarry since coming to the QZ. It was always miserable but you didn’t have the facilities to perform a surgical procedure for everyone. The medication was life or death…

“What are you thinking?” Kristen asked as everyone broke up from the meeting, a pallor cast over the shift.

“I’m thinking that there are ways around FEDRA,” you muttered. “There’s shit on here that I use all the time. There’s the abortive drugs, there’s the apparent shift to only broad spectrum antibiotics even though I’ve all but fucking begged them to require specificity in QZs so we’re not breeding superbugs. There’s a statin on here that I’ve given patients this week…”

“This is fucked,” she muttered, stalking off toward the back.

It was a relatively quiet day and you slipped out a few minutes early, making your way to Joel’s quickly.

You hesitated before you knocked. You hadn’t been here since the night that Joel had killed McCarthy. That night had haunted you for months, the image of his broken body turning up in your dreams almost nightly. You had the sickening feeling that someone had died because of you. Even if you were terrified of him, even if you felt like the world was better off because he was gone, even though you knew that if anything like that ever happened to Joel you’d want to do the same, you never wanted to be the reason someone was dead. Now, you were.

Tess answered with a frown.

“Hey Doc,” she said. “Not that it’s not always a pleasure…”

“I need a favor,” you said quickly. She shrugged and opened the door wide.

“Think I found…” Joel came out of his room holding a map and froze when he saw you, looking you up and down.

“She needs a favor,” Tess said, going to sit on the couch. You sat across from her.

“When is the next time you’re leaving the QZ?” You asked. Tess and Joel shared a look.

“This weekend,” she said. “Why?”

“Going anywhere that might have a pharmacy or five that haven’t been totally gutted?” You asked.

Tess smiled. Joel groaned.

“Matter of fact, we are,” she said. “And Joel mentioned that you can bake.”

Saturday, February 13, 2016

“So really, just ignore Bill,” Tess said. “He’s basically Joel.”

“Ah, huge grumpy asshole?” You asked. She laughed.

“Exactly,” she said. “Frank, though, is going to fucking love you.”

You’d been walking for a few hours already, seeing mercifully few infected, just one stray clicker that Tess took down on sight in two shots. Joel had stayed behind - grinding his teeth about it when you met Tess at his apartment just as curfew ended that morning - because, apparently, Bill wouldn’t take kindly to being outnumbered.

“The fact that you brought cookies, though, might make Bill like you,” she said.

“Way to a man’s heart and all that?” You asked.

“He’s just a guy who appreciates good food,” she said. “So if you can bring him food he likes? You’re in good. Better than me, that’s for sure. And definitely better than Joel, though that’s a low bar.”

You smiled a little.

“Would it be,” you paused, searching for the word. “Weird for me to ask how Joel is doing?”

“Better now than he was a few months ago,” she said. “Thank fuck. I was getting so tired of his bullshit with Tommy…”

“What bullshit with Tommy?” You frowned.

“Oh, you know,” she waved you off. “You’ve been in touch with Tommy, right?”

“Yeah,” you shrugged. “He sounded like he was settling in well out there…”

“I think that helped,” she said. “Joel holding a gun to his head about getting out of town fucked them both over for a while, though.”

You frowned.

“What do you mean, holding a gun to his head?”

You walked up to a large gate with a key pad and a camera mounted at the top. Tess smiled and waved at the camera.

“Tess?” You asked. “What do you mean, Joel put a gun to his head about it.”

She paused, looking at you.

“I probably shouldn’t have said anything,” she said. “You should ask Joel or Tommy…”

“Tess.”

She glanced quickly through the wire gate, the door on a large, white house opening.

“Look,” she said quickly. “I wouldn’t have said shit if I didn’t think Tommy already told you but Joel basically told Tommy to get the fuck out of Boston after the Fireflies blew up that FEDRA building…”

“What?” You breathed.

“It was a mess,” she said quickly. “But I think they’ve figured their shit out for now, we can talk about it more on the walk back… Frank!”

A tall, bearded man in a plaid shirt was jogging over to you, smiling broadly.

“Tess!” He opened the gate and pulled her into a tight hug. “Ugh, it’s been too long.”

“I know,” she sighed. “FEDRA’s been a bear lately…”

He separated from her and looked you over quickly, smile more hesitant.

“And who’s this?” He asked.

“Don’t worry, we left Joel at home and she brought cookies,” Tess smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “Bill will deal.”

Bill, in fact, did NOT want to deal.

The cookies, however, did help.

“How did you get that… depth of flavor?” He asked. There was a gun on the table in front of him as he chewed. You tried to ignore it.

“Brown the butter, substitute soy sauce for salt,” you smiled.

He looked at you.

“Soy sauce.”

“It’s got that umami thing going on,” you shrugged. “Tried it once with cupcakes when I was baking with a kid I was nannying and she desperately needed something for a bake sale the next day and there was no table salt in the house. Now it’s all I use when I can get it.”

“Soy sauce,” he said again. He took the gun to the kitchen the next time he got up. It didn’t come back out. Frank looked impressed.

Frank took you down to the pharmacy in town after tea. It was strange, walking through the streets of a town that was intact and so empty.

“So you’re a doctor then?” Frank asked as you walked.

“I am,” you smiled. “And I really appreciate you letting me see what your pharmacy has…”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” he waved you off. “Not like Bill or I really know what to do with much of it, anyway.”

“In fairness, neither does FEDRA,” you smiled. “If they did, they wouldn’t be doing stupid stuff.”

“How do you know Tess?” He asked.

“I’m an old friend of Joel’s actually,” you said, choosing to leave out the whole ‘she’s sleeping with the love of my life’ thing.

“Really?” Frank looked at you, shocked. “Didn’t realize he had friends. What are you, the paranoid old man tamer?”

You laughed.

“He wasn’t paranoid or old when I met him,” you said. “Believe it or not.”

“Having a hard time picturing it,” he smiled. “But I’ll buy it if you’re selling it. Only because you’re so convincing.”

“It’s the cookies,” you smiled back. “They’ll convince anybody.”

The pharmacy was well stocked and mostly intact. You looked at it in wonder, eyes wide like a kid at Disney World.

“I have a proposition,” you said, looking at the array of medications.

“I’m all ears,” he said.

“I will give you the names of common drugs and what they treat and their dosages,” you said. “I’ll even mark them in here so you can find them easily, there have to be sticky notes in here somewhere, if you let me take some of what FEDRA’s cutting off.”

“Sold,” he smiled.

Frank kept you company for a while, making easy conversation until he decided to go back to the house to save Tess from Bill. You spent the afternoon cataloguing the contents of the pharmacy, creating a stash for yourself to take back to the QZ and putting the most common drugs aside and labeling them carefully so they had resources.

It was later than you really wanted it to be when you and Tess got ready to go after Bill fed you an absolutely insane meal with venison and potatoes (you’d set your fork down and said “Are you fucking kidding me” after the first bite which, thankfully, the man hadn’t found offensive.)

You managed to wait until you were a mile into the walk back to bring the Tommy subject back up.

“So he really didn’t tell you why he left?” She asked.

“As far as I know, he left because the Fireflies wanted him across the country,” you said. “He asked me to come with him and I said no…”

“He asked you to come with him?” She gaped at you. You just nodded. She shook her head. “Well for fuck’s sake don’t tell Joel that, they’ll never talk again…”

“Why?” You asked. “I don’t get it…”

“You never seem to,” she sighed. “For someone as smart as you are you sure get confused by some of the most basic things.”

“Gee thanks, Tess,” you snapped.

“Sorry,” she sighed. “I just mean… You were always a sticking point for them. That’s why Joel told Tommy to leave. You. If he knew Tommy asked you to go with him? He’d lose his shit. I’d rather not deal with that again.”

“What do you mean I’m why he told Tommy to leave?” You demanded. “Does he really hate me that much? That he saw his brother being friends with me and he just needed to make sure I was miserable?”

“Doc,” she sighed but you pressed on.

“I thought things were actually getting better, that he was actually ready to tolerate my existence again,” you said. “But no, apparently he’s desperate to make me as miserable as he is…”

“Look,” Tess cut you off. “I don’t know the exact reason. I heard a bit from Tommy when he radioed to check in and Joel wouldn’t talk to him and Joel wouldn’t tell me shit, Joel never wants to tell me shit when it involves you. You’ll have to talk to Joel or Tommy.”

“Sorry,” you sighed. “I wasn’t trying to turn this into a complain about your boyfriend session.”

“Joel is not my boyfriend,” she laughed a little. “But it’s fine. Fuck knows the man has plenty worth complaining about.”

You laughed at that, adjusting your now full backpack as you continued your walk back to the QZ.

***

Joel really didn’t like you being outside the QZ without him. He’d fought Tess on it. He’d fought Tess on it tooth and nail but she eventually put her foot down.

“Look, Joel, if you want to control what she does then you need to figure your shit out with her,” she snapped. “But right now, you don’t want to be in a relationship with either of us so you really don’t get to control what the fuck we do. I’m taking her to Bill and Frank’s and you can sit down and shut the fuck up about it.”

She stalked off before she even had her coat on.

Joel knew she was right. He didn’t get to have a say in her actions or yours, especially not yours. Not really. He was nothing to you and that was by choice. He’d chosen distance from you because it felt like the safest route, the one that would let him get through the misery that was the world after the outbreak alive.

And now you were outside the QZ, just you and Tess and he had no idea if you were safe. He wouldn’t know for hours.

He spent more of his day than he really wanted to admit to trying to come up with a reason to see you the day after. Just to make sure you really were back and really were OK. That you’d made the journey in one piece, that no one had hurt you. You’d stopped working Sundays at the clinic so he couldn’t go there. He supposed if he did something supremely stupid and showed up at your door with an injury, you’d treat him. It had been so long since he’d spent much time with you, he wasn’t sure what you might try to DO on a day off. Where he might be able to just bump into you in passing. Say hi. Check for bites from infected.

He’d nearly talked himself into just dropping by your apartment without pretense when there was the sound of a key in the front door and you were there, with Tess.

Tess came in and kissed his cheek as a pretense for whispering in his ear.

“Sorry for this,” she said, patting his chest before going to his room. He frowned.

“Can I talk to you?” You hissed. You didn’t wait for a response, just marching over to him, grabbing his wrist, and dragging him outside in to the cold February air.

“Have a nice trip?” He asked. You ignored him.

“Did you tell Tommy to leave Boston?” You asked. He shocked back from you. That hadn’t been what he was expecting. You pressed him. “Did you tell Tommy he had to leave fucking Boston because of me?”

He paused.

“Yes.”

He wished he’d lied the moment he said it. The look of pain on your face was sharp, acute. Like you couldn’t believe he’d do this to you.

“Do you really hate me that much?” You asked quietly. “So much that you’d throw your own brother out of town just to make me miserable? Is that it?”

In half a second, Joel weighed his options. He could tell you the truth and break your heart. Tell you that one of your best friends had orchestrated the bombing that had nearly killed you and was responsible for the death of one of your former students.

Or he could let you believe the worst of him, the story you were already inventing. He didn’t blame you for it, he’d spent the last decade doing nothing but trying to push you away from him. At some point, you were bound to believe what he was telling you.

“At some point that girl is gonna stop forgiving you.” That’s what Tommy had told him once. Maybe he’d finally reached that point with you.

He just nodded once.

“I thought things were getting better,” you sniffed, tears in your eyes. “I thought that we could maybe, finally, be friends. Was that all just a way for you to manipulate me? To hurt me more?”

Joel didn’t say anything. The tears in your eyes finally fell.

“Fuck you, Joel,” you said, voice wet. “Just… fuck you.”

You stalked off into the night just as snow started to fall and you left him standing there, outside, alone in the cold.

A/N: Some relationship building this chapter (and a break from the drama drama of the last few entries) and a chance for Doc to be the one to call Joel on his shit - even if she doesn't ACTUALLY understand the shit.

I have a tag list that I update when I post! If you'd like to be added, please comment below :)

Thank you so much for reading and following along with this story! I love you all!

PS - Derek? Totally James Marsden in my head. This is why he got a description, he is a 40 year old James Marsden because Doc can PULL. OK THANKS BYE LOVE YOU GUYS!

Taglist: @paleidiot @ayamenimthiriel @ginger-swag-rapunzel @drewharrisonwriter @flugazi @pedropascalsbbg @taoyuji @starstruckmusiciansartghost @splendsay @bigboiseason123 @jpbplvr @ashleyandring @mrsyixingunicorn10 @sloanexx @ninaminaromina @lady-bellyn @hufflepuffriver @sarap-77 @storyarcscribe @mellymbee @jasminedragoon @lemonmeli @reds-ramblings @arizonadaydreamer @mumma-moonchild @blackroseguzzi

#joel miller x female reader #joel miller x reader #fanfic #joel miller x you

191 notes · View notes

caught-the-lovebug · 1 year

Note

OK HI IM THE PERSON WHO WANTED TO LEAVE A LETTER IN THAT BOYS LOCKER BUT WANTED TO DO IT ANONYMOUSLY I HAVE A MAJOR UPDATE.

ok so throughout the next few weeks of that post i chickened out multiple times thinking that i shouldnt do it and on the day of valentines my Spanish teacher gave us flowers and I thought, hey why not I have a flower now this is the perfect opportunity but I still wasn't sure and was like extremely nervous so I messaged my friends, and they practically (affectionately) peer pressured me into doing it. I made the note in the shape of a heart and found out how to fold it to make it look like an envelope and I wrote a short note basically just saying, what u like about him and I think he's special and really cute and I left the flower and the note in his locker while he was having a private lesson (were in band). I almost went back to get it, but I decided not to and afterwords I felt pretty good. A few days of passed and Friday (2/17) we were walking to our local Walgreens idk how we got to this conversation but he was like "there's some things I want to figure out before I die" and I asked what he wanted to figure out, and at first, he was really vague about it, but then he got more specific very slowly and he like mentioned he found something in his locker, and I just immediately knew he was talking about the note. Long story short, he cried happy tears after reading it, he has a picture of it on his phone and he wants to figure out who it. He said the handwriting look familiar, which is my bad because since I kept chickening out, I kind of rushed to the note at the last minute and hand wrote it instead of printing it like u said (which is why I was surprised he said he cried, because honestly after putting it in his locker I thought it was pretty cringy or cliché and kinda rushed). He also said that he has a feeling that me and my friend (we'll call them S) had something to do with it. I think this is because a few weeks before after I had told S about my crush on him S wenr to go ask him about any crushes he had. AnyWho, we moved on from the conversation after that but i did text about it later though, he thinks it was a girl (which is true) and maybe I'm looking too into it but I have a feeling he might know it's me cuz when I asked what he would do if you ever met the person who sent him the letter, he said "I guess if I know the person I could just say that I like them back" and maybe I'm looking too much into it, but that felt like a hint. All my friends think it is and think I should tell him but I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon. Honestly I'm just happy that it made him happy says he's kind of depressed and just the fact that something I made, made him so happy that he cried just makes my heart swell.🥹🥹🥹🥹

Thanks for your advice! (Even though, if at the end, I technically didn't take it fully lmao 💀)

Ahhh!! That's an amazing outcome!

You made someone you care about really happy and that's So Special and Good. I'm so glad it turned out that way.

Don't worry about not following my advice exactly, I only give it to help give people like you options or think about how They want to do things. It also sounds like you put a lot of care and thought into it even if you think it's a bit rushed.

Honestly, my instincts are to tell him! He's likely either figured it out or has a strong idea but doesn't want to be wrong.

Especially the "I'd tell them I like them back"... That feels odd to say if you don't think you know who. To me anyways.

But! If that's not what you want to do, then you don't have to push yourself. You did something incredibly nice and made him happy and you can crush away knowing that. It's entirely up to you. And as long as any decision you make feels good, that's great. And if you decide not to, you can always change your mind later.

Good luck! And I'm So Happy it went well!!!

#valentine #crush #fox gives advice #anon ask

0 notes

nickgerlich · 2 years

Text

I Shutter To Think

What goes around, comes around. That’s what they say. Fashions have a way of coming back to haunt us, as do hair styles. Maybe it’s because there truly isn’t anything new under the sun. Maybe it’s because, in our rush to reach tomorrow, we left behind a really good yesterday, and have come to regret it.

And maybe it’s because we have raised new generations of people on the New, that they are fascinated by the Old, and want to experience life as we did several decades ago.

Vinyl records are a good example. Starting in 2006, vinyl started its comeback, and last year 21.8 million units were sold. That compares to CDs, which continue their decline to 17.7 million. Sure, tangible recorded music is only about 10% of the music pie, which explains why many retailers have eliminated this category. Streaming services now account for 84% of music sales, but vinyl is big enough to warrant a specialty record shop in Amarillo, and even one in tiny Shamrock Texas on Route 66.

Another great example, and one that has piqued my curiosity, is film photography. This is how I learned the art of capturing light many years ago, borrowing my father’s Pentax K1000. It’s a rock-steady camera that I have today and still use. So popular is film photography that Kodak, once the industry giant, has hired more than 350 people in the last two years to be able to address rising demand.

It was in late 1996 that digital caught my eye and I bought my first film-free camera. It was a Casio that had what was then considered a mind-boggling 360 X 240 resolution. Yeah. That’s less than 1MP. Can anyone say grainy?

I dove deep into digital, and have bought quite a few cameras in the last 25 years. Digital is a very different game, allowing users to effectively pre-edit by adjusting a variety of settings, or tweak later in Photoshop and Lightroom. In the old days, editing was what you did in the dark room, with masters like Ansel Adams dodging and burning to achieve special effects.

Of course, film is still a tiny portion of the bigger photography picture (pun intended). The most common camera that 85% of us possesses—our smartphones—will never have film. And while there is a handful of new film cameras being manufactured now, the vast majority of cameras sold are digital, either DSLRs or mirrorless. Film is the new vinyl.

And there’s the issue of processing and printing, which can be expensive. You have to know where to look, although many Walgreens offer the service, as well as Walmart. There are also specialty mail-order processors, who will also burn a CD with your images in case you want to ride the fence.

Interest in film photography is felt across all age groups, but more pronounced among those who probably never loaded a roll before. There is increasing fascination with film photos from previous decades, notably the amazing work of John Margolies, who documented the vanishing American roadside from 1969 through 2008. He died in 2016. A large portion of his catalog is now available in the public domain at the Library of Commerce.   

Rabbit hole alert: You can get lost in his photos for hours!

 As an amateur photographer, I am fascinated by how any photo more than 20 years old is viewed less for its artistic quality, as much as it opens a window unto the past. The cars. The clothes. The hair styles. Even the shops and their signage. Every artifact of past pop culture becomes valuable, whether the horizon line is level or not. Meanwhile, I am my own worst critic, often agonizing over shots to get them just right. In 20 years, no one will care. Heck, in 20 years I may be dead, and my kids will have canceled my storage subscription on the cloud. Poof. Gone.

Some credit Instagram with the resurgence in film. For those of us who have been using the platform since its launch in 2010, we recall the quirky old-school filters as well as the square-only format, like a Polaroid picture. Lost in this assertion is the fact that, at least in the beginning, Instagram only supported digital uploads from a smartphone. You can now post from a computer, and use any digital or otherwise scanned images.

There is a twisted irony to the recent surge at Kodak, though, because the company invented digital photography in the 1970s, then sat on it, allowing others to hammer nails in its coffin many years later. But as it turns out, Kodak is not quite dead yet. While film may never grow so much as to give Kodak the last laugh, it all goes to show that what’s old can become what’s new.

I just hope that bell bottoms and mullets never return. We can live without those pictures in my mind.

Dr “Some Things Are Best Left Dead“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #film #photography #digital #Kodak

0 notes

copperbadge · 2 years

Note

Hi Mr Sam, I remember you make yearly photo albums and I was thinking of trying it this year. Do you mind sharing which printer (?) you use and if you recommend them?

Oh sure! I've been doing it since about 2006, and I've come to the conclusion that probably about 80% of all photobook printers use the same software and likely the same small group of outsourced print shops to do the actual printing.

I haven't delved deep into this, but in about 15 years of making photobooks, at least one per year and often multiple (mum likes photobooks of our trips together as gifts), I've found most of the "build your photo book" software to be strikingly similar, varying only in branding from site to site. So you're pretty much at six of one, half a dozen of another when it comes to ease of use, quality of product, options offered, et cetera. All of them have the same awkward pain points too (ease of photo upload, repeated insistence that somehow they are also a photo hosting service, etc).

I use Shutterfly mainly because the site has a decent longevity and also Shutterfly gives shitloads of coupons -- if you're not in a rush, build the photobook and then just sit on it until you get a decent 50% off coupon, which usually come around at least twice a year. Photo books generally aren't cheap; you can make a small, softbound one for a reasonable price but for me, I'm usually doubling the standard page count and getting hardback, which can really spike the cost without a decent discount. Plus they offer a ton of free backgrounds in addition to the premium "for pay" ones.

Shutterfly is not the most ethical of companies -- they recently got into legal trouble over illicit facial recognition nonsense, and while I didn't pay close attention I did get a class action lawsuit payout to the tune of $75, so it must have been pretty serious. It may be a reason you'd want to go with another service, although having just had their hand slapped that hard they'll probably behave themselves for a while. The other option I've used semi-regularly is the Walgreens photo center, which in addition to having basically the same software setup also has expedited printing, so unlike Shutterfly (which can take a week to ten days) you can tell Walgreens to print your photobook to a nearby store and go pick it up like, a day later.

So yeah -- I don't love Shutterfly but I do recommend it, with Walgreens as a secondary, but pretty much any decent photo-printing site that offers photobooks will probably give you the same quality level.

#photobooks #scrapbooking

58 notes · View notes

96harmony96 · 3 years

Text

Chapter 4 part 2

I threw myself into clubbing like it was going out of style. Cary and I bounced all over downtown clubs from Tribeca to the East Village, wasting stupid money on cover charges and having a fabulous time. I danced until my feet felt like they were going to fall off, but I toughed it out until Cary complained about his heeled boots first.

We’d just stumbled out of a techno-pop club with a plan to buy me flip-flops at a nearby Walgreens when we ran across a hawker promoting a lounge a few blocks away.

“Great place to get off your feet for a while,” he said, without the usual flashy smile or exaggerated hype most of the hawkers employed. His clothes—black jeans and turtleneck—were more upscale, which intrigued me. And he didn’t have fliers or postcards. What he handed me was a business card made from papyrus paper and printed with a gilded font that caught the light of the electric signage around us. I made a mental note to hang on to it as a great piece of print advertising.

A stream of quickly moving pedestrians flowed around us. Cary squinted down at the lettering, having a few more drinks in him than I had. “Looks swank.”

“Show them that card,” the hawker urged. “You’ll skip the cover.”

“Sweet.” Cary linked arms with me and dragged me along. “Let’s go. You might find a quality guy in a swanky joint.”

My feet were seriously killing me by the time we found the place, but I quit bitching when I saw the charming entrance. The line to get in was long, extending down the street and around the corner. Amy Winehouse’s soulful voice drifted out of the open door, as did well-dressed customers who exited with big smiles.

True to the hawker’s word, the business card was a magic key that granted us immediate and free entrance. A gorgeous hostess led us upstairs to a quieter VIP bar that overlooked the stage and dance floor below. We were shown to a small seating area by the balcony and settled at a table hugged by two half-moon velvet sofas. shepropped a beverage menu in the center and said, “Your drinks are on the house. Enjoy your evening.”

“Wow.” Cary whistled. “We scored.”

“I think that hawker recognized you from an ad.”

“Wouldn’t that rock?” He grinned. “God, it’s a great night. Hanging out with my best girl and crushing on a new hunk in my life.”

“Oh?”

“I think I’ve decided to see where things go with Trey.”

That made me happy. It felt like I’d been waiting forever for him to find someone who’d treat him right. “Has he asked you out yet?”

“No, but I don’t think it’s because he doesn’t want to.” He shrugged and smoothed his artfully ripped T-shirt. Paired with black leather pants and spiked wristlets, he looked sexy and wild. “I just think he’s trying to figure out the situation with you first. He wigged when I told him I lived with a woman and that I’d moved across the country to be with you. He’s worried I might be bi-curious and secretly hung up on you. That’s why I wanted you two to meet today, so he could see how you and I are together.”

“I’m sorry, Cary. I’ll try to put him at ease about it.”

“It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it. It’ll work out if it’s supposed to.”

His assurances didn’t make me feel better. I tried to think if there was a way I could help.

Two guys stopped by our table. “Okay if we join you?” the taller one asked.

I glanced at Cary, and then back at the guys. They looked like brothers and they were very attractive. Both were smiling and confident, their stances loose and easy.

I was about to say, Sure, when a warm hand settled on my bare shoulder and squeezed firmly. “This one’s taken.”

Across from me, Cary gaped as Lauren Jauregui rounded the sofa and extended her hand to him. “Taylor. Lauren Jauregui.”

“Cary Taylor.” He shook Lauren’s hand with a wide smile. “But you knew that. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I could’ve killed him. I seriously thought about it.

“Good to know.” Lauren settled on the seat beside me, her arm draped behind me so that her fingertips could brush casually and possessively up and down my arm. “Maybe there’s hope for me yet.”

Twisting at the waist, I faced her and whispered fiercely, “What are you doing?”

she shot me a hard glance. “Whatever it takes.”

“I’m going to dance.” Cary stood with a mischievous grin. “Be back in a bit.”

Ignoring my pleading glance, my best friend blew me a kiss and the guys followed him. I watched them all go, my heart racing. After another minute, ignoring Lauren became ridiculous, as well as impossible.

My gaze slid over her. shewore dress slacks in graphite gray and a black V-neck sweater, the overall effect being one of careless sophistication. I loved the look on her and was attracted to the softness it gave her, even though I knew it was only an illusion. she was a hard woman in a lot of ways.

I took a deep breath, feeling like I needed to make an effort to socialize with her. After all, wasn’t that my big complaint? That she wanted to skip past the getting-to-know-you stage and jump straight into bed?

“You look…” I paused. Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing. So damn sexy…In the end, I went with the lame, “I like the way you look.”

Her brow arched. “Ah, something you like about me. Is that a general like of the overall package? Or just the clothes? Only the sweater? Or maybe it’s the pants?”

The edge to her tone rubbed me the wrong way. “And if I say it’s just the sweater?”

“I’ll buy a dozen and wear them every damn day.”

“That would be a shame.”

“You don’t like the sweater?” she was pissy, her words coming clipped and fast.

My hands flexed restlessly in my lap. “I love the sweater, but I also like the suits.”

she stared at me a minute, and then nodded. “How was your date with B.O.B.?”

Oh hell. I looked away. It was a lot easier talking about masturbation over the phone. Doing it while squirming under that piercing green stare was mortifying. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

she brushed the backs of her fingers over my cheek and murmured, “You’re blushing.”

I heard the amusement in her voice and swiftly changed topics. “Do you come here often?”

Shit. Where did that clichéd line come from?

Her hand dropped to my lap and caught one of mine, her fingers curling into my palm. “When necessary.”

A quick stab of jealousy made me stiffen. I glared at her, even though I was mad at myself for caring either way. “What does that mean? When you’re on the prowl?”

Lauren’s mouth curved into a genuine smile that hit me hard. “When expensive decisions need to be made. I own this club, Camila.”

Of course shedid. Jeez.

A pretty waitress set two pinkish-colored iced drinks in square tumblers on the table. she looked at Lauren and gave her a flirtatious smile. “Here you go, Miss. Jauregui. Two Stoli Elites and cranberry. Can I get you anything else?”

“That’ll be all for now. Thanks.”

I could totally see that she wanted to get on the pre approved list and I bristled at that; then I was distracted by what we’d been served. It was my beverage of choice when clubbing and what I’d been drinking all night. My nerves tingled. I watched her take a drink, swirl it around in her mouth like a fine wine, and then swallow it. The working of her throat made me hot, but that was nothing compared to what the intensity of her stare did to me.

“Not bad,” she murmured. “Tell me if we made it right.”

she kissed me. she moved on fast, but I saw it coming and didn’t turn away. Her mouth was cold and flavored with alcohol-laced cranberry. Delicious. All the chaotic emotion and energy that had been writhing around inside me abruptly became too much to contain. I shoved a hand in her glorious hair and clenched it tight, holding her still as I sucked on her tongue. Her groan was the most erotic sound I’d ever heard, making the flesh between my legs tighten viciously.

Shocked by the fury of my reaction, I wrenched away, gasping.

Lauren followed, nuzzling the side of my face, her lips brushing over my ear. she was breathing hard, too, and the sound of the ice in her tumbler clinking against the glass skittered across my inflamed senses.

“I need to be inside you, Camila,” she whispered roughly. “I’m aching for you.”

My gaze fell to my drink on the table, my thoughts swirling around in my head, a clusterfuck of impressions and recollections and confusion. “How did you know?”

Her tongue traced the shell of my ear and I shivered. It felt like every cell in my body was straining toward her. Resisting her took an impossible amount of energy, draining me and making me feel tired.

“Know what?” she asked.

“What I like to drink? What Cary’s name is?”

she inhaled deeply, and then pulled away. Setting her drink down, she shifted on the sofa and drew a knee up onto the cushion between us so that she faced me directly. Her arm once again draped over the sofa back, her fingertips drawing circles on the curve of my shoulder. “You visited another of my clubs earlier. Your credit card popped and your drinks were recorded. And Cary Taylor is listed on the rental agreement for your apartment.”

The room spun. No way…My cell phone. My credit card. My fucking apartment. I couldn’t breathe. Between my mother and Lauren, I felt claustrophobic.

“Camila. Jesus. You’re white as a ghost.” sheshoved a glass into my hand. “Drink.”

It was the Stoli and cranberry. I pounded it, draining the tumbler. My stomach churned for a moment, then settled. “You own the building I live in?” I gasped.

“Oddly enough, yes.” she moved to sit on the table, facing me, her legs on either side of mine. she took my glass and set it aside; then warmed my chilled hands with her.

“Are you crazy, Lauren?”

Her mouth thinned. “Is that a serious question?”

“Yes. Yes, it is. My mom stalks me, too, and she sees a shrink. Do you have a shrink?”

“Not presently, but you’re driving me crazy enough to make that a possibility.”

“So this behavior isn’t normal for you?” My heart was pounding. I could hear the blood rushing past my eardrums. “Or is it?”

she shoved a hand through her hair, restoring order to the strands I’d mussed when we’d kissed. “I accessed information you voluntarily made available to me.”

“Not to you! Not for what you used it for! That has to violate some kind of privacy law.” I stared at her, more confused than ever. “Why would you do that?”

shehad the grace to look disgruntled at least. “So I can figure you out, damn it.”

“Why don’t you just ask me, Lauren? Is that so fucking hard for people to do nowadays?”

“It is with you.” she grabbed her drink off the table and tossed back most of it. “I can’t get you alone for more than a few minutes at a time.”

“Because the only thing you want to talk about is what you have to do to get laid!”

“Christ, Camila,” she hissed, squeezing my hand. “Keep your voice down!”

I studied her, taking in every line and plane of her face. Unfortunately, cataloging the details didn’t lessen my awe even a tiny bit. I was beginning to suspect I’d never get over being dazzled by his looks.

And I wasn’t alone; I’d seen how other women reacted around her. And she was crazy rich, which made even old, bald, and paunchy guys attractive. It was no wonder she was used to snapping her fingers and scoring an orgasm.

Her gaze darted over my face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m thinking.”

“About what?” Her jaw tightened. “And I’m warning you, if you say anything about orifices, preapprovals, or seminal emissions, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.”

That almost made me smile. “I want to understand a few things, because I think it’s possible I’m not giving you enough credit.”

“I’d like to understand a few things myself,” she muttered.

“I’m guessing the ‘I want to fuck you’ approach has a high success rate for you.”

Lauren’s face smoothed into unreadable impassivity. “I’m not touching that one, Camila.”

“Okay. You want to figure out what it’s going to take to get me into bed. Is that why you’re here in this club right now? Because of me? And don’t say what you think I want to hear.”

Her gaze was clear and steady. “I’m here for you, yes. I arranged it.”

Suddenly the threads the street hawker had been wearing made sense. We’d been hustled by someone on Cross Industries payroll. “Did you figure that getting me here would get you laid?”

Her mouth twitched with suppressed amusement. “There’s always the hope, but I expected it would take more work than a chance meeting over drinks.”

“You’re right. So why do it? Why not wait until Monday lunch?”

“Because you’re out trolling. I can’t do anything about B.O.B., but I can stop you from picking up some asshole in a bar. You want to score, Camila, I’m right here.”

“I’m not trolling. I’m burning off tension after a stressful day.”

“You’re not the only one.” she fingered one of my silver chandelier earrings. “So you drink and dance when you’re tense. I work on the problem that’s making me tense in the first place.”

Her voice had softened, and it stirred an alarming yearning. “Is that what I am? A problem?”

“Absolutely.” But there was a hint of a smile around her lips.

I knew that was a lot of the appeal for her. Lauren Jauregui wouldn’t be where she was, at such a young age, if she took “no” gracefully. “What’s your definition of dating?”

A frown marred the space between her brows. “Lengthy social time spent with a woman during which we’re not actively fucking.”

“Don’t you enjoy the company of women?”

The frown turned into a scowl. “Sure, as long as there aren’t any exaggerated expectations or excessive demands on my time. I’ve found the best way to steer clear of those is to have mutually exclusive sexual relationships and friendships.”

There were those pesky “exaggerated expectations” again. Clearly, those were a sticking point with her. “So, you do have female friends?”

“Of course.” Her legs tightened around mine, capturing me. “Where are you going with this?”

“You segregate sex from the rest of your life. You separate it from friendship, work…everything.”

“I’ve got good reasons for doing that.”

“I’m sure you do. Okay, here are my thoughts.” It was difficult concentrating when I was so close to Lauren. “I told you I don’t want to date and I don’t. My job is priority number one and my personal life—as a single woman—is a close second. I don’t want to sacrifice any of that time on a relationship and there’s really not enough left over to squeeze in anything steady.”

“I’m right there with you.”

“But I like sex.”

“Good. Have it with me.” Her smile was an erotic invitation.

I shoved her shoulder. “I need a personal connection with the men I sleep with. It doesn’t have to be intense or deep, but sex needs to be more than an emotionless transaction for me.”

“Why?”

I could tell she wasn't being flippant. As bizarre as this conversation must be for her, Lauren was taking it seriously. “Call it one of my quirks, and I’m not saying that lightly. It pisses me off to feel used for sex. I feel devalued.”

“Can’t you look at it as you using me for sex?”

“Not with you.” she was too forceful, too demanding.

A sizzling, predatory glimmer sparked in her eyes as I bared my weakness for her.

“Besides,” I went on quickly, “that’s semantics. I need an equal exchange in my sexual relationships. Or to have the upper hand.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? You said that really quickly considering I’m telling you I need to combine two things you work so hard to avoid putting together.”

“I’m not comfortable with it and I don’t claim to understand, but I’m hearing you—it’s an issue. Tell me how to get around it.”

My breath left me in a rush. I hadn’t expected that. shewas a woman who wanted no complications with her sex and I was a woman who found sex complicated, but shewasn’t giving up. Yet.

“We need to be friendly, Lauren. Not best buds or confidants, but two people who know more about each other than their anatomy. To me, that means we have to spend time together when we’re not actively fucking. And I’m afraid we’ll have to spend time not actively fucking in places where we’re forced to restrain ourselves.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing now?”

“Yes. And see, that’s what I mean. I wasn’t giving you credit for that. You should’ve done it in a less creepy manner”—I covered her lips with my fingers when she tried to cut me off—“but I admit you did try to set up a time to talk and I wasn’t helpful.”

she snipped my fingers with her teeth, making me yelp and yank my hand away.

“Hey. What was that for?”

she lifted my abused hand to her mouth and kissed the hurt, her tongue darting out to soothe. And incite.

In self-defense, I tugged my hand back to my lap. I still wasn’t completely confident that we’d worked things out. “Just so you know there are no exaggerated expectations—when you and I spend time together not actively fucking, I won’t think it’s a date. All right?”

“That covers it.” Lauren smiled and my decision to be with her solidified for me. Her smile was like lightning in the darkness, blinding and beautiful and mysterious, and I wanted her so badly it was physically painful.

Her hands slid down to cup the backs of my thighs. Squeezing gently, she tugged me just a little bit closer. The hem of my short black halter dress slipped almost indecently high and her gaze was riveted to the flesh he’d exposed. Her tongue wet his lips in an action so carnal and suggestive I could almost feel the caress on my skin.

Duffy began begging for mercy, her voice drifting up from the dance floor below. An unwelcome ache developed in my chest and I rubbed at it.

I’d already had enough, but I heard myself saying, “I need another drink.

5 notes · View notes

i-write-shakespeare-not-disney · 4 years

Text

Director’s Commentary- Lovesick Addiction, Keith joins Lance in church as he mourns

My commentary is in bold italics- I hope it’s okay I focused on the shoebox because the whole church scene was like... 6 pages and half of it was crying....

Keith chewed on his lower lip for a second before nodding. “I want to be here with you.” I’m gonna be honest. I know I’ve gotten feedback on the realism of Lance’s mourning, but I have no idea how realistic I made Keith as a partner who is also becoming part of it. I don’t actually know how hard it may have been for Keith to sit there and open the shoe box with Lance, but I like to think that although it is a bit uncomfortable, the jealousy is gone and it’s something Keith does want to actively be part of with Lance out of love for him. Which is why I made him stay even in the midst of Lance’s mourning period and after so long without hearing from Lance.

Lance turned toward him and put the box between them. He took a breath and stared at it for a minute. Keith kept his eyes on him while he prepared himself. Then Lance reached out and pulled the lid of the shoebox away.

There were several papers, photos, and even pieces of jewelry. Lance let out a shaky breath and he let his fingers skim over the photos. They had a grainy sort of appearance, like they were photos taken with phones then printed at a Walgreens. A couple were those new, small polaroids.

Lance looked at them and took a deep breath that left him in a shaky exhale. It kind of killed me not getting a chance to write this section in Lance’s POV because this is huge for him. He’s allowing and inviting both worlds to merge here in a place of faith which he had been lacking. He’s inviting this acknowledgement of both Allura and Keith as romantic partners and it’s HUGE, especially after so long keeping them separate and grieving her separately. “This was the first Christmas we spent as a couple. She gave me the cologne you saw in my bathroom that day.”

He looked at the photo in Lance’s hands. The two of them bundled up with scarves and beanies and thick jackets so all you could really see was her hair spilling around her shoulders and their faces as they laughed in the middle of a kiss.

It felt jarring to see Lance kissing someone else. The bitterness Keith used to have to stuff down wasn’t there, just… discomfort. I also really wanted this scene to show the growth and security Keith feels in the relationship. He would NOT have been ready for this if they’d opened the box all those chapter ago when Lance first mentioned the box. Lance put the photo back inside and looked at the others. There was a silly selfie of the two of them where Allura’s hair covered both their faces because the wind was blowing it. Keith could still see their laughing smiles between the strands, the scrunch of their eyes as they winced. There was one someone had taken of them while they sat, each with a book in their hands. Lance seemed to be looking up as if whoever was snapping the photo had called his name suddenly. Allura was leaning against him, focused on her book. They were both dressed up.

“Where’d you guys go?” I know it seems like Keith asking stuff is just a given, but.... Honestly he could’ve stayed quiet the whole time and just let Lance talk when he needed/wanted. But I had this question from Keith’s end because I wanted to show that Keith is welcoming this information, this conversation. It’s not one sided. It’s a conversation and Keith wants to be part of it. He wants Lance to trust him with this, wants him to feel safe and comfortable talking about it. So he asks and he’s curious and it’s him opening that space for Lance. Reassuring him that he means it when he says he wants to be there.

Lance smiled sadly. “That was after Ash Wednesday. See the smear on our foreheads?” He sighed. “We actually weren’t dating yet in that one. I also wanted to make sure people recognized that his relationship with Allura wasn’t always romantic. There was friendship there, a bond that went back to childhood. A closeness that grew before the romance. It’s mentioned either before or shortly after this excerpt but I needed to drive home the fact that Lance is not only mourning a lover, he’s mourning a friend. Even when he’s been with Keith for 30 years, he will still mourn Allura because she was still his friend of several years. But my dad kept telling me to buck up and be a man and ask her out already.” Keith hummed and nodded. He looked into the box and skimmed the other contents. “Are you sure this is okay?” Lance asked.

He met Lance’s eyes and smiled sheepishly. “It’s a little strange. But I’m okay.” He pointed inside the box. “What’s with the index card covered in algebra equations?” The index card, I just really wanted a mundane object that would show how easy and natural their relationship was but also didn’t want it to be a sticky note because of that Valentine’s day headcannon I have for them.

Lance set the photos down and lifted the index card. There were a bunch of sticky notes attached to the other side of it, stacked sloppily over each other.

“This is from one of the classes we shared for gen ed. She left me a note on it when I wasn’t looking, and I just found it between my study guides.” He peeled the sticky notes off and Keith saw some loopy, round handwriting scrawled across the other side in black marker.

I like the look on your face when you get confused. It’s cute. -Ax

Keith knew exactly what she was talking about. That scrunch of his eyebrows, the way he pressed his lips together in a slight pout, the way his eyes would squint suspiciously, all topped with a slight tilt of his head. It was fucking adorable. So. I really liked the idea of creating a sense of similarity between Keith and Allura through Lance. The two people who love(d) him in this romantic way both knew him well enough to know what his confused face was and to find it endearing. They’re similar in their love for Lance, and it also shows that there’s parts that are integral to Lance that didn’t disappear after Allura’s death. Even if it’s as small as a facial expression.

“The professor was trying to explain logarithms. I never understood those,” Lance said. He flipped the edges of the sticky notes. “She used to leave me notes in my stuff. In my backpack. Between the pages of my books. In my wallet. Telling me to listen for the birds that day. Things that reminded her of me. Or just to remind me that… she loved me.” I want to expand on this in the prequels, but the idea was that Allura liked to mention things Lance could make poetry out of. While also letting him experience the present. As someone who knew she was on limited time, Allura was often the one reigning Lance back to just be present and enjoy the moment (something else Keith and Allura have in common) when Lance wanted to rush forward and plan the future. So she mentioned little things that could help him be present like bird songs. He traced the loops of her writing and pressed his other hand to his eyes.

He took a moment to pull himself together, placing the stack of notes back inside the box. While Lance breathed, Keith noticed the glint of a chain and a bracelet. The cross on the chain and the little infinity sign on the bracelet were the same as the ones Allura had been wearing in the photos. He could see them clearly on a small polaroid of Allura laying out in the sun- the very same cross and bracelet. I wanted the jewelry to stand out because they didn’t go to Coran and they weren’t buried with her. They were given to Lance.

“She really loved you,” Keith said softly.

Lance looked over at him and managed a nearly imperceptible nod. “I miss her. And it just sucks that… this isn’t the kind of missing someone where you know you can drive a few hours to see them or just wait a few months to be with them. It’s permanent. There’s no possibility at all and I can’t do anything about it.” Depending on how long you’ve followed me, you may or may not know I’m thanatophobic. So I basically put the fears I have of death into this. It’s kind of surreal trying to get into your head when someone is gone in a permanent way that has no chance of changing and I tried to phrase it in a way that would carry that weight of pain and finality. As he spoke, his voice broke more and more between whispers, some words barely distinguishable. “And when that reality hits me I just feel… so powerless and small.”

Seeing Lance break down further, Keith got up and moved to the other side of Lance so he could wrap his arms around him. Lance pressed his hands to Keith’s chest.

At first, Keith thought Lance was trying to push him back. That he might need space. But when Keith started to let him go, Lance’s body curled further into him. His palm pressed against his chest, seeking something. Seeking Keith’s heartbeat. Lance’s face tucked into the curve of his neck. Lance’s way to be present. The last time he did this was after a nightmare of Keith dying, so for Lance, the heartbeat is a way of comforting himself with the knowledge that the person he loves is alive.

They stayed that way for a long time. Keith let his finger twirl an unruly lock of hair by his ear, his other arm wrapped around Lance and gently skimming his fingers over him back. Lance kept his hand at Keith’s chest, occasionally pressing harder, occasionally letting his hand slip before settling back in place.

Eventually, Lance lifted his head. “I’m gonna pray a little,” he said with a tired, raspy voice. “Then we can go back. If you’d rather wait in the car, you can.”

Keith hummed and looked around at whoever was left still praying. “Can you show me how? Teach me one of the prayers you like so I can do it with you?”

I’ve mentioned why this last bit matters so much to me. I mean for one, it’s a big step that Lance made the step on his own to voluntarily go to church and another that he’s sitting to have his conversation with God. But there’s also so much in the fact that Keith is also offering to join him in this because he knows what it means to Lance. Anyway this is one of my favorite parts especially with the part the follows this where Lance gives him a simple little kiss and Keith is very confused and wondering if it’s allowed. That part, I think shows another merging of worlds for Lance. A merge of his faith with his identity as someone who loves a boy.

#director's commentary

13 notes · View notes

artnutt · 6 years

Text

Snapfish Review (by a picky design mama)

I have a ton of photos. Thousands. Tens of thousands actually. Travel photos, wedding photos, family photos—you name it, I’ve got them all stored away on a couple of external hard drives. Wonderful if you don’t want anyone other than facebook to see them.

Enter my son. While my partner is perfectly happy to leave photos sitting in the cloud or on his phone, I am not. But not having printed any photos since the advent of digital, I had no clue where to get them done. I had no idea that you can get them from Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens, not to mention the plethora of online options. Now enter my inability to make a decision without a looming deadline or gun to my head.

I did research. Lots of research. But deep down, I may be picky, but I’m also lazy. I set an internal deadline of having my son’s photos printed by his first birthday. It’s either first birthday or fifth birthday if I know myself—and fifth birthday would be thousands of photos. (Not to mention the mommy guilt of explaining to everyone why I don’t have any photos of my kid on the walls.) So at the end of the day I chose Snapfish. Snapfish had good reviews and more importantly, a sale going on. Your first 100 photos are free and since I had 296, that sounded great to me. Plus a summer sale got my next 100 photos for .01 each. My only issue is that somehow they were re-organized in the online system so they were not printed in date order. That meant more time putting them in my photo album. It may be something fixable if one has the time to check out the issue. (I did not.)

Of course shipping busted me quite a bit. But I do like the range of delivery options. Of course my internal clock and visiting parents meant I needed them as fast as I could get them. I choose the rushest of rush options, included all the sale codes I could use and altogether paid less than $30.00 USD for nearly 300 photos. Not bad.

Now I sat back and waited for them to arrive. I used their tracking options, which let me know where my package was on route, but I didn’t need to bother because you get an email when your package has been delivered. It took two days. I love the internet. That’s faster than the days of sending your film off to Timbucktu and waiting a week or more.

I opened the package with excitement and trepidation. It was packaged well into groups of 100. Most of my photos were taken with my iPhone. All the time I thought I’d have posing my infant into super-awesome photos never materialized, so I know many of them are blurry, dark, and not color-corrected. I did my best in Lightroom, but with the sale deadline being that day, I gave up and just ordered them thinking bad photos are better than no photos. (Pinterest and Instagram have a lot to answer for).

TaDa!

They don’t look half bad. Ignoring things like composition of course. The issues I have are all with the original images. The two clearer images in the second row are ones I took with my Canon dSLR so the color is better on those. I’m sure a true photographer could pick them apart or offer comparisons with better companies, but I have to say start to finish, it was an easy process and I got decent product. Now I can work on year 2.

Snapfish Review (by a picky design mama) was originally published on Christy McNutt Art

#parenting #photography #product review

1 note · View note

havensconsumptionblog · 5 years

Text

Day 3 - 9/6/19

I started my day with another Chewy Chocolate Brownielicious granola bar because I slept in too long again. I got my stuff together and took the two buses needed to get to the St. Paul campus. It’s interesting thinking about how much of my time is spent on buses, since that’s my main form of transportation. I spent the next 4 hours in my photography class taking notes and receiving a lot of printed out handouts. The teacher specifically asked if people liked printed out handouts - most people said no, but she said she’d have some printed out just in case people wanted them each class anyway. It made me wonder just how much paper is wasted this way. Since I rushed out the door, I didn’t have time to grab any food to eat, but I had an extra Chewy granola bar and a can of cheddar cheese Pringles I bought at Walgreens the other day because they were only like $3 in my bag. I started getting hungry about midway through, and didn’t want to be that annoying person eating chips in class, so I ate my second Chewy granola bar while charging my iPhone in class.

Once I left class I was super hungry, but decided I didn’t have enough time to stop for food this time. I walked to the bus stop and got on the bus to go to work, and texted my coworker asking if he could pick me up some lunch when he went to Kowalski’s. Kowalski’s has boring sandwiches, so I decided to ask for sushi. He sent me a picture of their selection, and I picked the roll that was the cheapest but wasn’t just vegetables - a California roll for $6.99. I did some social media scrolling on the way to work, and once I got there I retrieved my sushi from my coworker. He’s super nice and I don’t think he knew what I needed to eat sushi, so he had grabbed me a fork, a pair of chopsticks, and two extra packets of soy sauce as well. I ended up eating my sushi with my hands and used two soy sauce packets, so I put the fork and chopsticks in my backpack to take home and save for later use. I threw away the plastic shell the sushi came in, along with the wasabi, ginger, and the soy sauce packet that came in the clamshell. I worked on social media posts for the store, consuming the Spotify rap playlist that was playing on the speakers, and electricity to power my phone and computer. After a while I got hungry, so I ate what was left of the Cheddar Cheese Pringles, and threw away the can. I checked the can and was disappointed to not find a recycling symbol, so I had to throw it in the garbage.

I used another envelope to put the money in the til, and then caught my two buses home. I scrolled through more social media on my way home, used my EOS chapstick, and finally arrived home. I still didn’t go out to get groceries, so I settled on eating some Cool Ranch Doritos my manager had also given me (they were planning a BBQ that didn’t come to fruition last week, so he gave me like 5 bags of chips for free) to tide me over, knowing I was going back to the suburbs for the weekend soon. I debated on whether or not to include my juul use in these posts, but eventually decided to. It’s hard to quantify how much I use in a day though, since I’m not even close to running through a pod a day. Once I got back to my boyfriend’s dad’s house, we settled down with a frozen Indian meal, a frozen pad thai, and a piece of naan bread, snacked through some offbrand cheddar sour cream and onion chips, and watched the Great British Baking show until we fell asleep.

Pic of my fork and chopsticks:

Indian frozen meal and pad thai:

0 notes

dylanbarnes · 7 years

Text

How To Legally Change Your Name and Gender in 2017 in the state of California: For Trans Identifying Individuals

I just pretty much successfully changed my name and gender on almost every legal document except for my birth certificate.

I am an FTM trans man and I wanted to share this in case it could be helpful for anyone going through the same process. You will probably learn as you go, like I did, but I thought maybe it could provide some support along the way if needed.

First: Everyone will tell you different information, or not tell you the information you needed.

That is why I am writing about this, because I want to share my journey.

1. Getting a Court Order ($450)

You have to start by getting a court ordered name and gender change. You do this by getting all of the court papers required and going to a local courthouse. I found the court papers here: http://www.courts.ca.gov/25797.htm

Then you go to your local courthouse and in California it costs about $450 for your court ordered name and gender change. There is a waive fee application you can fill out but you might have to pay that expensive fee.

You wait in line and you hand in your paperwork, where they will correct it if there are any errors, and then you get a court date. You can mail in your paperwork and get a court date mailed back to you, but I thought it would be easier to just go to the courthouse. I preferred it because the person I handed the paperwork to fixed any issues and I got my court date right there and then.

You most likely do not have to show up for your court date, they will decide if you do or don’t and you can check online at a specific date before the court date.

I did not have to show up to mine. When I went to the courthouse, it was November of 2016, and I was a little bit panicked to get my name changed for a few reasons, this was right after the election. Well, I thought, I’ll get a court date and it will be next month and it will be quick. It wasn’t however, I got my court date for February, 2017, which was about four months away. So if you are in a rush to change your name, factor in that it could take four months to get your legal court date.

Once a decision has been made on the day of your court date, it will take about a week for the court to file your paperwork and then you can go in and pick up your legal name and gender change! yay. You should call them first and ask them when it will be ready for you to pick up because you don’t want to go to the court and not be able to get it.

You go to the court, and you have to have your case number, which they will give to you online, or you can look it up when you are there. Then they will print you a copy of your court decree for name and gender change, which is one page, and it costs $25 to get the official seal of approval, which you NEED to change your other documents. You should, if you can, get about three copies of this decree with the official seal, which will cost you $75. Or just get one and see how far you can get with it, but you probably will have to go back and get another one. I had two printed in total.

2. US Passport (~$200)

I changed my US Passport next because I wanted to travel somewhere, it was a mistake that I waited until the last moment, never do that in general.

What I learned about changing your name and gender on your US Passport:

Do NOT go to the post office to get this done. There are usually long lines and you won’t get your passport for like two to three weeks if you pay for the most expensive expedited shipping, and it’s not worth it.

DO go to a Passport office, these are different than the passport sections at the post office, they are specifically just for Passports, and you can make an appointment. You have to make an appointment a few weeks in advance to get one, then you go in and you get a new passport within days. It will probably cost about $200. I paid a little over that because I went to a post office and I paid for the fastest expedited shipping.

I tried to go to a passport office after the post office because what happened was that they told me I could submit a copy of my Physicians letter, but they were wrong and I had to mail them an original copy. You can not go to a passport office once you have already submitted your passport application elsewhere. So I just ended up having to wait about a month to get it, and I missed my trip.

IMPORTANT: every document you send in with your application has to be the original.

What you need for your US passport:

- A copy of your Driver’s License, front and back

- A small passport photo of you that you can get at CVS or Walgreens, or any of those kinds of stores

- An original copy of your Physicians statement

- An original copy of your court decree legal name and gender change

- A copy of your social security card: I can’t remember if you need this but just to be safe

- A Passport application, they will give you one when you go to your appointment or wherever you end up going

3. Social Security Card (Free?)

IMPORTANT: You MUST change your social security card before you change your Drivers License, it is a REQUIREMENT. Do not go to the DMV before you have proof of changing it otherwise you must go to a Social Security Office and get it changed.

You have to go to a Social Security Office with your:

- old social security card

- court decree name and gender change original

- new passport

- just to be safe bring your old DL and a photocopy of it, an original physicians statement, and photocopy of your passport

Sometimes the people helping me would ask me to see additional paperwork that wasn’t listed online that I would need, and I figured out that some people ask for different paperwork, so just make sure you have all your copies and original copies with you in a file or folder just in case.

I think that is all you need. You go to the office, get a number and wait to be called. Then say you are changing your name on your social security card and they will help you.

They did not charge me, and so I think it is free. It is the only free thing on this list of items you have to change. *sigh*

Then they will give you a piece of paper that is basically a receipt, or a temporary social security card, that says you have changed it and are waiting for it to be mailed. They will mail it to you within a week or two. Mine came quickly within about a week.

4. Drivers License or ID card ($27-35)

Take the form you got from the social security office with you, you will need this, they just want to see that you have done it.

If you don’t do the social security card first you cannot change your DL because they told me when they go to look up your name in the system and they can’t find it on your SSC, then it will be reported as fraud and they won’t change your DL.

And who wants to go back to the DMV three times? I did. Well, I didn’t, but I had to and that was really frustrating to me, because I did so much online research AND met with someone at the LGBT center who was a social worker and trans and she was helping me.

In order to change your name and gender on your DL, you need to get a physician to sign a special form that you get from the DMV. I went to the DMV and got the form, but maybe there is a way that they can mail it to you if you go on their website and find out. My local LGBT center also had the forms and I requested they fill the form out and mail it to me, you can also do this.

They charged me about $27 to get my new DL. The price seems to vary and could be up to $35.

What you will need:

- DL name and gender physician form

- original copy of physicians statement, they asked me to see this document even though it wasn’t listed that you do need it, just bring it with you

- original copy of court decree name and gender change - same as above

- DL new License form, you will get this form at the DMV

- old license - they took my old license from me, which is fine, but I thought it was weird, it must be something they do now

- Social security card receipt - they just want to see it

- bring your passport with you just in case, it’s good to have an ID with you that has your new name and gender, it made me feel secure to bring it with me

If you can, make an appointment at the DMV it will go a lot faster. If you go at odd times and don’t make an appointment that will also make it faster.

5. Birth Certificate

This is pending for me and seems to be the document that I am least worried about changing in a certain amount of time.

The reason the other ones are so important is because of jobs, applications, traveling, and more.

But mostly for me because of jobs. In general I don’t want to be working for a company that is not trans friendly, but also, I don’t want to be discriminated against during the hiring process. I thought that it would be better to have updated ID documents, it would make it less awkward and a smoother process.

I did have a job before I changed my ID’s, and it was an awkward thing where I had to tell them, this is my birth name, but I am in the process of changing my name. And “I go by Dylan”. They understood I was trans, but there was some confusion at first and then they got it. Luckily I had a really trans friendly group of co workers and employers so it was not too bad.

Changing your ID’s is a very expensive process. For all of your important ID’s not including your Birth Certificate you should allot up to:

$760

I wrote this because I was told so many different things in this process and had to go back and forth to the DMV three times and it was honestly such an irritating process. So I wanted to share my process in the hopes that maybe it will help someone else's process go a little bit smoother.

#transgneder #trans #ftm #ftm transgender #ftm transition #ftm transman #ftm transguy #ftm trans #name change #name and gender change #legal name and gender change #transition #female to male #trans dude #transition help #transition information #namechange #femaletomale

3 notes · View notes

thecomedybureau · 7 years

Text

The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to in No Particular Order of 2016

2016 is officially, finally, thankfully over (as long as you don’t think about time largely being a human construct, a new number of year doesn’t make things automatically better, and Trump becoming POTUS).

So, it’s time for our year end list, The 100 Best Things in Comedy We Were Witness to in No Particular Order of 2016.

For reference of how we do our year-end, best of lists, which is a far cry from most other comedy best of lists anywhere else, check out our lists from past years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.

Got it? Great.

Here’s 2016′s edition:

1. Jake Weisman's Send Up of Peter Travers Reviews-Rolling Stone has gone through so much recently, you might have forgot this amazing NSFW parody that Weisman made of Travers movie reviews.

2. Rory Scovel’s set on Conan Where He Went Into the Crowd-Rory Scovel pushes the envelope in stand-up in the best ways imaginable and this latest Conan set is evidence of his juggling of being fearless and silly at the same time.

3. Conan Without Borders-Conan O'Brien's trips overseas to Berlin and South Korea highlight every single comedy gear that Conan can shift into and proves that he can almost make any situation hilarious.

4. "Killer" by Matt Kazman-Kazman achieves one of the best comedic payoffs on screen in 2016, including film and TV, with this incredibly crafted short film.

5. The Jackie and Laurie Show-Jackie Kashian and Laurie Kilmartin found a way to make a podcast where comedians talk comedy and have it be original, damn funny, and crucial.

6 Hebecky Drysbell-Reigning all time UCB Cagematch champions Heather Anne Campbell and Rebecca Drysdale showcase such virtuosity as an improv duo that is as hilarious as it is, when we think about it, beautiful.

7. Chris Estrada-If you’re looking for diamonds in the rough right now, we’d say catch Estrada’s next set and you’ll see how great his jokes are drawing from his life growing up in LA.

8. Cool Sh*t/Weird Sh*t's Neighborhood Walking Tour-the LA outfit of the experimental comedy show brilliantly took its audience, one night, around the block and staged such moments as a couple fake fighting in a real Food 4 Less, a woman crying trying to explain the plot of a movie in a Walgreens, and running into an adult orphan waiting to be adopted off the street.

9. Womanhood with Aparna Nancherla and Jo Firestone-Nancherla and Firestone compliment each other so well in being goofy on this show that goes through absurd explanations of “womanhood” that it should be the next web series that gets made into a full fledged TV show.

10. Fleabag-Phoebe Waller Bridge has the UK's fantastic, epic answer to You're The Worst.

11. Giulia Rozzi's True Love-Rozzi’s hour achieves what a good rom com achieves by skewering love and all of its faults as much as it celebrates it.

12. Mike Leffingwell's 12 Angry Men: The One Man Show-The concept of a single man doing a solo show adaptation of the classic courtroom drama 12 Angry Men is funny enough, but Mike Leffingwell then pulled off performing it perfectly.

13. Josh Sharp doing an hour while dipping in and out of singing D'Angelo's Untitled (How Does It Feel?) with a live band-Sharp's stories are wonderfully crafted and told, and then, accentuated by his lovely voice singing D'Angelo’s most well known song like there's no tomorrow.

14. Not Safe with Nikki Glaser's Remote Segments-Glaser fed porn stars lines for scenes, visited a foot fetish convention, and highlighted sex in such a fun way that wasn’t attempted by any other TV show.

15. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's Make Donald Drumpf Again-Oliver and company's take down of Trump was one of the best researched, strategized, written, executed pieces on Trump during this whole election cycle.

16. Disengaged-Jen Tullock and Hannah Utt's web series following a lesbian couple rushing into marriage was one of the best pieces of romantic comedy we saw in 2016

17. [F*ck This] Late Night Show with David Brown-In a way, David Brown sees Eric Andre’s rebellion against the traditional late night format and raises it some more chaos. He has a separate creative team ruining his talk show as it happens via flashmobs, waterboarding, etc.

18. Baron Vaughn’s Blaxisential Crisis-Baron Vaughn’s latest album oscillates perfectly between deep and crucial issues of race, class, purpose and flights of imaginative fancy putting Vaughn almost in a class by himself.

19. Crabapples with Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill-the odd couple pairing of Goldthwait and Gill is unlike anything comedy has seen before. Because it lives in truth (they really are roommates), it’s one of the best hosting duos in comedy today.

20. Megan Gailey-Gailey, with her stand-up, is simultaneously an undeniable delight and a force to be reckoned with, which only doubles up how delightful she is to watch.

21. Liartown USA-When it comes to parodying covers for books, magazines, Netflix menus, etc., Sean Tejaratchi might just do it better than anyone as you can see above.

22. This Bill Burr joke: “How many Toyota Camrys do you have to see before you realize most people’s dreams don’t come true?”-We usually refrain from transcribing jokes out of context and in print, but we haven’t stopped laughing at this searingly honest joke from Burr since we first saw him work on it several months ago and felt it imperative that it be on this list.

23. Sing Street-The 80s, Ireland, young love, and diegetic musicals get married perfectly in this film by John Carney that spent far too little time in theaters.

24. Derek Sheen's Tiny Idiot-This album made it clear that Sheen could be an heir apparent to Patton Oswalt, bu very clearly has his own, unique comedic take on the world today.

25. Stephen Colbert's Close to His Election 2016 Live Special-For once, the world got to see the real Stephen Colbert who is so intelligent, well spoken, caring, and one of the only people that could pull of dealing with immediate aftermath of an impending Trump win on TV.

26. Will Hines' A Soundly Defeated Man-Hines, in a series of sketch vignettes, takes the comedic self-deprecation to a new level of artistry by showing how defeated one man really can be.

27. The Lobster-Yorgos Lanthimos might have made the best dystopian rom com in recent memory and, possibly, for several years to come.

28. Jena Friedman's American C*nt-Friedman is unrelenting in her dismantling of the patriarchy amongst other several other controversial issues. She handily deals with them in this special, placing her in a very important position in comedy going forward in 2017.

29. Jamie Loftus-Loftus is that amazing rare breed of comedian that blends dark, absurdist humor with genuine vulnerability and she can do so in her stand-up or through own self-styled animation (ex. doing her own animations for old tapes of how to tell children about someone dying).

30. Chris Duffy's You Get a Spoon-Duffy’s NYC based, curated variety show is filled with so much positivity from celebrating the favorite things of his favorite performers that you almost can’t leave the show without a smile on your face (or winning a prize).

31. Bear Supply-The quick, music fueled scenes of Mike Castle, Shaun Boylan, Joey Greer, Jordan Bull, Morgan Christensen and James Heaney is impeccable improvisational comedy.

32. The Cooties-Musical comedy is alive and well with the satirical power pop songs of The Cooties.

33. Aparna Nancherla’s Just Putting It Out There-Aparna’s album is proof positive that her wondrous version of self-deprecation can be ultimately uplifting.

34. Hunt for the Wilderpeople-Taika Waititi continues his film streak with a charming-as-can-be film about a troubled youth surviving in the wilds of New Zealand.

35. Don't Think Twice-Mike Birbiglia gets really close to hitting too close to home for some people in comedy, but that draws out one of the best depictions of life in comedy (or attempting to do so) that has ever been put into a movie.

36. The Opening of The Pack Theater-The DIY, punk rock, spirit that runs in the veins of much of LA comedy got a new, wonderful outlet at The Pack Theater.

37. Jetzo-Chad Damiani and Juzo Yoshida mash-up improv, clowning, kimonos, dramatic live musical accompaniment, and breaking the fourth wall to make the marvelous whirlwind known as Jetzo.

38. DJ Real (Nick Stargu)-SF comedian Nick Stargu’s alias DJ Real mixes an uncanny command of musicianship with an über-clever style of comedy that dazzled and had us doubling over laughing at the same time.

39. Daniel Webb-Hailing from Austin, TX, stand-up comedian Daniel Webb is a splendid rush of charisma that probably has a better Obama story than almost anyone you know.

40. Laurie Kilmartin's 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad-Kilmartin’s special, born out of jokes she tweeted while her dad was passing away, is so darkly funny and has an unmistakable humanity, which has us rethinking that maxim of comedy equals tragedy plus time.

41. Kristin Rand-LA got a brief glimpse of the unstoppable charm of Rand when she moved here from Denver and was all the better for it.

42. James Fritz's Still Together-The way Fritz exquisitely channels rage and bleakness into this debut album is magnificent.

43. Roast Battle-What started as two open mic’ers fighting in a parking lot has now earned its way to a March Madness style tournament shown on Comedy Central and we’re betting that Roast Battle still has much more potential ahead of them.

44. Josh Fadem-Fadem made a return to performing more regularly in 2016 and his magnetic positivity and pure, unabashed goofiness (complete with impromptu costumes) definitely got us through the whole of last year.

45. Sam Jay-Jay moved to LA from Boston and took her insightful, brash, unfiltered comedy (that happens to come through the lens of being a newly married lesbian) and has become a the LA scene favorite almost instantly.

46. Dave Waite's Dead Waite-Dave Waite's latest hour takes being a goofball to new heights of brilliance.

47. Of Oz The Wizard by Matt Bucy-Absurdity doesn't get more pure than Bucy's re-editing the classic film version of The Wizard of Oz and alphabetizing the entire thing, start to finish.

48. This Friday Forty-Most other quiz shows can’t compare to Scott Gimple and Dave Holmes' This Friday Forty that not only has topical trivia, but fantastic sketch characters to introduce said trivia.

49. Jay Larson's Human Math-Few comedians so deftly explore the minutia of human nature like Larson does on this album.

50. Josh Gondelman's Physical Whisper-Gondelman's craftsmanship in observational humor is exceptional on this album and accentuated nicely by his sunny stage persona.

51. Kyle Mizono right after the election-There was a lot of raw nerves exposed in comedians right after Trump's win and few did it so purely and well as Mizono. For a whole set, she screamed her jokes with legitimate fury, but without being off-putting (well, if you’re not a Trump supporter that is).

52. Lady Dynamite-Maria Bamford’s truth and Mitch Hurwitz’s wildly imaginative way of making episodic television combine for a comedy series that is blazing its own trail at a time where that gets harder and harder to do in a show about the life of a comedian.

53. Hail, Caesar!-The Coen Brothers’ latest comedy set in Hollywood’s Golden Age is one of their sharpest and most beautiful works that has plenty of scenes that could be amazing short films on their own.

54. Moses Storm's Sweater-Moses Storm never ceases to amaze us as he, this time, wore a sweater that had several strings attached to it for audience members to grab so they could literally be connected to him while he's telling a story.

55. Full Frontal with Samantha Bee-Samantha Bee has cemented a legacy in her short time on the air with her take-no-prisoners-and-then-some style of satirical news coverage.

56. Gene Wilder and Fidel Castro's New Year's Rockin' Eve (in Limbo)-UCB’s Beth Appel and Rose Marziale put a hell of a show to end 2016 with as they used the whole of the UCB Sunset complex to have an immersive comedy show (a la Sleep No More) that included karaoke with dead celebrities, a fake newsroom, and the woods where Hillary Clinton is living.

57. Morris From America-Chad Hartigan’s refreshing coming-of-age story following an American black kid trying to grow up in Germany with his single father hit a very sweet, feel-good note that everyone needs to see (especially since it had a short theatrical run).

58. Britanick’s “The Foul Line”-Though BriTANick had gone a few years without a new video, this absurdist folly makes up for all that time lost.

59. 20th Century Women-Mike Mills' latest is a great follow up to Beginners and is an award worthy comedy that might actually be able to compete with heavily favored dramas this year.

60. Three Busy Debras-The comedy trio of Three Busy Debras got to play Carnegie Hall through this devilishly fun crowdfunding campaign.

61. Paul F. Tompkins' on Political Correctness-One of comedy's best gave one of the best explanations of political correctness' necessary role in comedy.

62. The Dollop-Shining a light on the dark corners in American history is as important as it has ever been and Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds do so with a devilish laugh and their effortless riffing up comedy gold.

63. Floor Knobs-This AOK sketch from Heather Anne Campbell is one of our absolute favorites and, rather than spoiling anything, we'll just leave it at that.

64. David Gborie’s Late Night Stand Up Debut-Gborie takes an unexpected move in his opening to this performances that sets up a truly wonderful late night stand-up debut.

65. Cholofit-Frankie Quinones' cholo exercise guru is done so well that it leaves you wanting it to be a real exercise program.

66. Oh, Hello-John Mulaney and Nick Kroll took two characters from just being a small bit to the heights of Broadway. George St. Geegland and Gil Faizon are just so fully realized and funny that it doesn’t matter if you miss one of their references or not.

67. Chris Garcia's Laughing and Crying at the Same Time-Garcia meshes deeply personal stories and utter silliness that do the album title justice.

68. Cole Escola-Escola’s solo show follows him playing several outrageous characters (switching wigs and costumes while on stage) allowing for another fun layer in between the cavalcade of delightful, short monologues.

69. Catastrophe season 2-Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney have kept their devastatingly funny look into an unplanned family up to the very high standard they set in season 1.

70. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog's Election Watch 2016-Robert Smigel might have not known that having a dog puppet on his hand roasting people to their face for years would be the perfect preparation for covering the 2016 election (on both sides of the aisle), but, as the handful of Hulu specials prove, it really was.

71. Joel Kim Booster’s set on Conan-Just telling the story of being adopted by a Midwestern white family from Korea and being gay is fascinating enough, but Joel Kim Booster made that story blisteringly funny on late night.

72. Angie Tribeca-Physical comedy and sight gags would almost seem out-of-turn in comedy these days, but the proudly silly Angie Tribeca on TBS is thankfully changing all of that.

73. Trump vs. Bernie-While ‘Trump vs. Bernie’ will probably be a presidential candidate match-up that more people will long for than ever, Anthony Atamanuik and James Adomian's Trump vs. Bernie will go down as one of the best bits (that includes the live tour, the Fusion series, and album) of comedy to come out of one of the worst elections in U.S. history.

74. Joe Pera’s Set on Seth Meyers-Pera’s weirdness is one-of-a-kind in comedy as it’s very warm and inviting. He got to share that with the world with his set on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

75. Vice Prinicpals-When Danny McBride and Walton Goggins’ diabolical teachers one-up, in the best way, any other teachers in any other comedies that go off-the-deep-end in this HBO series.

76. Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio-Neely's latest creations seems to offer up bits from the weirdest corners of Neely's mind and this animated sketch show is all the better for it.

77. Hari Kondabolu's Mainstream American Comic-Much is deservingly said about Kondabolu’s expertise in talking politics, class, race, etc. in his comedy, but this album also shows that his comedy is stellar no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.

78. Jon Glaser Loves Gear-Glaser does meta comedy better than almost anybody else working right now and his new show on TruTV is proof of that.

79. How to Win at Feminism by Reductress-This whip-smart manifesto about feminism solidifies Reductress’ place in modern satire next to The Onion and Clickhole.

80. Great Minds with Dan Harmon-Harmon getting to spend time with some of history's most notable figures ended up being one of the best shows that the History Channel has done in years.

81. Derrick Brown-Very few poets can reach the point of being laugh out loud funny and still deeply emotive quite like Brown, both on stage and in his book, Uh-Oh.

82. Natalie Palamides' solo show Laid-Palamides makes a solo show that's so absurd and funny, it might almost be in a unique category of its own.

83. W. Kamau Bell’s Semi-Prominent Negro-Bell explores all of today’s hot button issues (racial inequality, transgender identity, gentrification, etc.) comedically, as he is very skilled at doing, but does it in such a jovial way that they don’t seem so controversial anymore.

84. Other People-Chris Kelly’s hilarious and heartbreaking movie based on his own life in dealing with the passing of his mother from cancer is one of Kelly’s finest work, which is even more impressive as his first feature done while being an SNL writer.

85. Emo Philips improvising with Jason Van Glass-Emo's comedic prowess is so great that he can improvise with Van Glass like they're a veteran improv duo.

86. Return of MST3K-Of the things from our childhoods that are being brought back, Mystery Science Theater 3000 returning with a sweeping mandate in the form of a record breaking Kickstarter campaign is one that deserves to be revived.

87. Wyatt Cenac’s An Angry Night in November-Cenac’s EP captures lightning in a bottle (it’s his set from his weekly Night Train show) of immediate post-election comedy that is pure, raw, and biting.

88. Justin Sayre’s Gay Agenda-Sayre makes a compilation of his “meetings” as ‘Chairman of the International Order of Sodomites’ that give a hysterical look into the many great, complex layers of LGBTQ life.

89. Ahamed Weinberg-Both as a stand-up and a filmmaker (watch Rasberries), Weinberg is on a path to being another great modern comedy multi-hyphenate.

90. Jon Dore Gets a Bad Backstory-Dore once again shows how to toe the line when entering the darkest territories of comedic material and do so successfully while being utterly absurd.

91. Ron Babcock videos-A dying reel and an ad for his old CRV really showcase the cleverness and ingenuity of comedy’s Ron Babcock.

92. Reggie Watts’ Spatial-Watts’ latest special is his best and most ambitious one yet as it includes his beatboxing, a faux sitcom, tap dancing, and way more.

93. Alex & Jude-Alex Hanpeter and Jude Tedmori have figured out how to give slapstick, physical comedy the proper twist for 2016 audiences, which includes a literal bit of audience participation of making Jude a target.

94. Conner O’Malley-O’Malley takes satirical field pieces to a whole new level as he plays and wholeheartedly commits to dark, fully realized characters inspired by vaping, Alex Jones, and Cubs fans. He interacts with real people at Trump rallies, vape conventions and outside of Wrigley Field and goes along with whatever happens.

95. Doug Stanhope’s No Place Like Home-Stanhope has an amazing take on mental illness in this special and opted to shoot it in his own hometown of Bisbee, AZ. Overall, No Place Like Home ranks high up in Stanhope’s extensive catalog of stand-up.

96. “Tond” by Kelly Hudson-Hudson’s short film is one of our favorite bits of existential absurdity of 2016, a year seemingly saturated in nothing but questioning ‘what it all means’.

97. Brett Gelman's Dinner in America-Gelman's last special on Adult Swim is one to remember, especially for how searing the satirical commentary on race relations are in it.

98. Miguel Marquez-Marquez bridges a gap, almost literally, between art and comedy as his wry art installations are way funnier (intentionally that is) than nearly anything you’d see in an art museum.

99. Chris Fleming's Silver Lining-The week following the election seemed as hopeless can be if you voted for Hillary and Fleming offered up a powerful, albeit one with a bit of tomfoolery, message of hope.

100. Norm MacDonald on Conan-Not only is there the expected long, winding roads of Norm’s jokes and stories in this particular appearance, but Conan does an impression of Norm out of frustration that’s spot on.

30 notes · View notes

artbypino · 4 years

Text

Professional Film Developing Photo Lab

Are you looking for a Professional Photo Lab for your Film Developing or Processing?

Looking to get Slides Printed or Films Scanned? Need a Disposable Camera Developed, Dcanned and, Printed? Looking to buy a Film Camera with a 30-Day Warranty? Looking for Photography Classes? Looking to Buy Fresh Film?

We are your ONE STOP for all your Film Photography needs. From being able to buy films (25+ varieties in stock) to Developing or Processing them to Scanning them to getting Prints made, we can do it. At a professional level. 1 Business Day Service available for Developing or Processing and Scanning.

How do I get my film developed or processed?

STEP 1 - If it is a 35mm or 120 roll of film, click here to pre-pay. If it is any other kind of film including negatives or slides or 110 film or 126 or Advantix APS cartridges, call or text (956) 492-7140 for pricing and turn-around.

STEP 2 - Drop off film at 500 E. Camellia Ave, McAllen, Texas (Atrium Place Apartments, Red Brick Building). Be sure to call or text ahead of time to set up a drop off time. Available M-F 9a-7p, weekends and holidays, by special appointments. If you haven’t pre-paid, bring cash as communicated. Venmo (artbypino) or PayPal or Credit Cards accepted with a 3.5% convenience fee added to your order total.

STEP 3 - Pick up your completed order on date/day and time communicated. If prior arrangements have been made, order will be shipped or delivered to you. Most developing or processing orders are ready in 5-7 business days unless 1 Business Day upgrade is purchased.

YOUR NEGATIVES ARE ALWAYS RETURNED TO YOU

PARTIAL LIST OF SERVICES & PRODUCTS PROVIDED

Film Developing or Processing for all formats and chemistry - C41, E6, 35mm, 110, 120, 126, Disposable Cameras. Yes, you can take them to CVS or Walgreens or Walmart but, will they return your negatives to you? We always return your negatives. Regardless of the number of exposures 12 or 24 or 36, we have a fixed price for Film Developing or Processing. Regardless of whether it is a Color or a Black & White film. Slide films (E6 process) cost higher to develop and pricing is quoted upon request.

Scanning of Negatives or Digitizing them - at the time of developing the film or existing negatives including slides - mounted slides are welcome. Need an old photograph scanned and restored? We can help. Do you need them delivered the scans to you online via the Cloud (Google Drive or DropBox or iCloud, etc..)? Prefer USB that you provide or on a DVD? No problem.

Color or Black and White films Developed or Processed, Scanned and, Printed. Need your Color or Black and White slides or negatives printed professionally? We can do it. Need a canvas or metal or wood or glass print? We can do it.

True Black and White printing available - remember, the Silver Gelatin Prints from the old days where Black color looked like Black and not Gray which is how most prints are made these days as they are printed digitally?

1 Business Day Rush Service for Developing or Processing and Scanning available.

Need to buy fresh film? We have 25+ varities in stock at any given time. 35mm, 120. Color and, Black & White. CineStill, Fujifilm, Ilford, Kentmere, Kodak and, Ultrafine are some of the brands we carry. Our film pricing is super simple. Regardless of the number of exposures 12 or 24 or 36, we have a fixed price. Same price for a given brand and film whether it is a 35mm or 120.

Looking for old film cameras that work? Our film cameras - 35mm SLR or Rangefinders, 120 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9 Medium Format - all come with a 30-day warranty. Each film camera is inspected when we get it, cleaned, light seals/foam are replaced if necessary, then tnot just battery tested but, tested with film. Only if it passes our tests, we put it up for sale. We typically carry Canon AE-1, Canonet QL17 GIII, Leica, Mamiya 645, Mamiya Universal Press, Olympus OM-1, OM-1n, OM-2, OM-2n, Pentax, Minolta X700, Rolleiflex, Rolleicord, and, Yashica. If you are looking for a specific camera with a lens combined with a 30-day warranty, let us procure it for you. We buy globally from a variety of sources. If your existing camera needs light seals/foam replaced, we can help. If the camera needs repairs, we can coordinate it for you for a fee by sending your equipment to our trusted repair sources.

Want to Develop or Process your own film? We carry the most popular products from LAB-BOX and Paterson.

Photography Coaching Classes - one on one. Lessongs customized to your learning goals.

Portrait Photography - Get your Portraits taken on film. Only Film Photography can give it the classic and timeless look. Your Best Images - Guaranteed. Whether it is a solo session or with a pet or family or with your near and dear one, an engagement or a wedding (only as a second photographer to allow artistic freedom).

We are your Film Photography source in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Your ONE STOP for anything related to Film Photography. Click with us.

#film photography #film developing #film processing #film photo lab #slide printing #film scanning #disposable camera developing

0 notes

michellelewis7162 · 4 years

Text

Selecting a Wonderful Senior Portraiture Professional Photographer

Congratses on creating it to your elderly year! Your elderly year is your last real year as an adolescent. After this you need to be a developed. Elderly photos should record your appearance as well as character so you can easily remember this moment constantly. The problem is, elderly photos regularly appear like they were actually made by grown-ups.

Picking the right professional photographer is certainly crucial if you are visiting like your images. Listed here are actually some suggestions about what to search for in a great photographer Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills. Family Photography El Dorado Hills

1. Definitely you need to have to review your freelance photographer's past work. Here's what to try to find: Senior images may not be that tough matched up to other forms of digital photography. If your professional photographer has carried out magnum opus previously, it is actually very likely that he/she is going to have the capacity to duplicate that down the road. Your job is to bring in certain that they have actually done magnum opus over the last. When perusing collections, observe how many images you find of a particular person. Is actually there a single of everyone, or a number of? If your digital photographer can't present you a wide array of remarkable pictures of each individual, you ought to presume that there was just one prosperous shot from each treatment. Whether or certainly not one great photo is actually adequate is actually stringently approximately you.

2. Does your professional photographer's design match your very own? Will you experience relaxed placing your face on the postures in your photographer's profile? Would certainly you be actually happy to distribute pictures like that of your own self? If your photographer does simply workshop chances with chiffon drapes as well as muslin backgrounds, you require to choose if those scenery can easily exemplify that you are actually and also what you such as to perform. If your photographer just carries out on-location tries in metropolitan area parks, inquire your own self the amount of opportunity you would usually devote in public playgrounds. If your freelance photographer has a great deal of examples of remarkable presents and also unusual lights, consider whether that is the sort of photo you desire as a representation of your own self. If your professional photographer's postures are rigid or casual, remember that this is just how your own photographes will look Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

3. What is your finances? The price of senior images ranges coming from totally free (from your friend's mommy with a video camera) to limitlessly pricey. If your freelance photographer quotes you a "resting charge" or "treatment fee", make certain to ask them about the package deal fees. Many digital photographers will definitely need you to obtain developments and also duplicates from all of them at much greater rates than you are utilized to at Costco or Walgreens. The print quality might or even may certainly not be actually better than you are actually used to. Inquire about prices to acquire publishing legal rights if you have an interest in buying printings coming from an usual picture counter. Some professional photographers will definitely offer you high-resolution digital copies of touched-up photos for an added charge. If this is actually unavailable or expensive a cost to warrant, ask them about accessibility of low-resolution pictures for distribution on Facebook or MySpace.

4. Is talk uncomfortable along with your digital photographer? Unless you have the poise and all-natural phrases of a specialist model, your professional photographer plays the important role of guiding your positions throughout your photo treatment. If you discover it tough to talk with him/her on the phone or even in the cocktail lounge of the workshop, factors are merely mosting likely to be actually worse when there is actually an electronic camera pointed at you. (The professional photographer that took my elderly pictures possessed a flair for splitting unfunny laughs straight when I got on the brink of creating a truthful smile. It really did not assist.) Professional photographers that are rushed, arrogant, pretentious, old fashioned, or even discourteous will be actually challenging to partner with. A photographer with an individual that places you comfortable is actually vital Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

When you've decided on the appropriate professional photographer, the most vital trait is actually to receive a lot of rest prior to your image session and afterwards unwind and have a great time. I'll provide even more recommendations on organizing the huge shoot in a potential article El Dorado Hills.

5 Tips For Finding a Senior Portrait Photographer

5 suggestions to help you discover a digital photographer for your youngster's elderly portraits. It is actually incredibly crucial to locate a freelance photographer that is ready to discuss their ability with you, not market it to you. While track record is essential, possessing your senior fitting along with his or even her freelance photographer is a very necessary element.

1.) Locate a freelance photographer that agrees to learn more about your individual design.

Every person is actually different, and also yearns for various points away from their elderly pictures. You need to have to find a professional photographer ready to take the additional time to get to understand you, and what details traits you want out of your session It is actually incredibly vital that you recognize you are actually obtaining what you desire.

2.) Someone that is prepared to discuss their ability with you, not sell it to you.

A bunch of freelance photographers available copyright each one of their work, as well as require you to purchase it from all of them at a really high rate. It costs the analysis to find a freelance photographer that will offer the photos of yourself to you without demanding an outrageous price, or even demand you to obtain the copyright launch coming from all of them El Dorado Hills.

3.) Locate a digital photographer that is ready to cut the rules.

Most freelance photographers follow the "rules of digital photography" as well as don't such as to tip outside package or even practice along with positioning, lighting fixtures, exposure and so on. That is actually when your pictures begin seeming like your pals. It is excellent to locate a freelance photographer ready to damage the rules to obtain one thing distinct and definitely capture your individuality.

4.) Find a Sioux Falls digital photographer that isn't confining you to your treatment.

During sessions at times freelance photographers confine the about of time you have, your clothing adjustments, as well as places. It is very important to find a digital photographer that won't restrict you in the course of your treatment and to what you are actually qualified of. It takes a little while to get relaxed facing the electronic camera and the photographer. Your professional photographer needs to have to be actually client with you as well as give you the opportunity you need Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

5.) Locate a photographer about to have fun along with you.

Your elderly photos are actually a red-letter day and a day to seem like a style. It is actually a fantastic knowledge that needs to become exciting and also pleasurable. Find a Senior Portrait Photographer that is going to make you seem like it is actually your exclusive time, as well as allow you have a blast with it and also be yourself.

Look for Graduating Senior Portraits

Elderly graduation is actually an important celebration for both the grad and also the moms and dads and also many individuals pick to capture the affair with qualified digital photography. There are actually a lot of photographers offering senior images which generates a very open market to pick from Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

One of the most significant things to bear in mind when opting for a photographer for grad is to locate as well as book the photographer earlier.

Along with the recognition developing for professional photographers are actually made a reservation for up for the season beforehand, as well as leaving it to the last minute is certainly not highly recommended. It is actually significant to find a photographer whose premium and style matches your requirements as well as see to it that the freelance photographer is booked for the event along with a down payment spent beforehand to safeguard the reserving El Dorado Hills.

For a freelance photographer who provides senior portraits, this is actually a hectic time and also it is crucial to make certain that all reservations are safeguarded along with a deposit. Much more notably is to make certain that your routine is arranged to ensure you maximize the demand for it without double booking or being actually incapable to accomplish your promises.

Choosing a qualified digital photographer is actually vital. You perform certainly not intend to be entrusted to poor quality photographs of this the moment off occasion. It is actually also crucial to make certain that the professional photographers function meets the style you want, as well as the most ideal method to accomplish this is actually to visit previous freelance photographer has actually carried out.

It is actually important to obtain all the information from the client to know precisely what it is they want, to make sure that you can easily provide them with photos to denote this celebration that they will definitely more than happy with.

There are actually a lot of modern types that are actually ending up being considerably preferred for getting a degree senior picture photography in Lafayette, Los angeles and also it is vital for the digital photographer to see to it they are actually up to time with all the brand-new styles if they are to possess any type of perk over their competitions in this particular market as much as it is necessary for the client to make sure that the freelance photographer they select is actually experienced along with the modern design they have actually selected Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

Carrying out on-site is actually also coming to be increasingly preferred, allowing the earning a degree senior picture to include other graduates in the photo and these are going to typically include action shots which the photographer needs to have to be experienced at. Customers selecting this alternative, require to ensure their professional photographer comprehends what is actually called for coming from all of them for these tries. Professional photographers supplying these activity tries will certainly require to be sure they are actually organised, on schedule and also possess all the devices they need to have on internet site, featuring demanded batteries, in addition to very clear guidelines coming from the consumer. Making a listing of the tries the consumer yearns for will definitely ensure you catch everyone they want consisted of in the chance and may tick off each of all of them on a checklist El Dorado Hills.

Senior Portrait Essentials

When it involves deciding on a freelance photographer for your elderly portraits you will certainly possess lots of options, beneath is actually a list of important factors to look at. The Internet is actually wonderful area to start your hunt, if you are having problem locating one in your place consult your nearby Yellow Pages, as they will definitely have a listing of digital photographers that take senior images at the same time, having said that, anybody can easily put an advertisement in the Yellow Pages.

A site however may provide you instances of elderly photographes the freelance photographer has carried out. Furthermore a freelance photographers site can easily offer you a sense of their individuality, their style and also if the internet site is has various other photos uploaded an excellent building up aspect for you to select histories and collect ideas for your own senior course photographes Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

To begin with, routine your consultation well before your elderly year. Great professional photographers could be reserved months earlier. Do certainly not wait your high university yearbook due date might be actually as early as late September, so look at early to mid summertime before your elderly year.

Second, numerous backgrounds that demonstrate you, carry out not acquire pushed right into an empty canvass that mentions very little concerning who you are actually. Take into consideration picturesque shots, you really love horses, searching, football, cheerleading or competitive softball think about a digital photographer that may carry these essential aspects right into your images. Your elderly pictures need to offer your reader greater than a smile. El Dorado Hills.

Third select a wide array of different ensembles, both laid-back as well as elegant, in 1962 all children required was actually a coat and also an association, today your clothes, whether it is actually a regulation football jersey or your looking disguise perform not hesitate to reveal your enthusiasm. Don't forget see to it the apparel you select will not conflict along with your history, prevent terminology or occupied styles on your clothing. Solids operate effectively.

Fourth, merely be you, appear natural. You desire to fit and employ a digital photographer that is going to create you believe comfortable. It is all right to type and comb your hair, but if you yearn for a glamour go and also understand you are going to not be actually comfy doing it, do not. New hairdos for females as well as haircuts the time just before for young boys carry out certainly not constantly give one of the most perfect results. Where your brand new style for a little while and make a decision if you like it prior to you acquire elderly pictures.

Ultimately you should unwind, choose a digital photographer who is exciting and may bring out your finest.

Take pleasure in the second, your mindset will show by means of to everybody who observes your elderly class photos. If you are fretted about imperfections, comical tan series, or even other problems, excellent professional photographers understand just how to make use of Photoshop and is going to eliminate what you do certainly not yearn for others to view. Always remember elderly training class photographes concern you. Try to find a digital photographer who can easily create you everything you are actually!

Posing For Senior Portraits

A teen's in 2014 in senior high school is actually an important time. It is an opportunity for helping make memories before everybody splits off to various universities. It is an opportunity for putting on educational institutions and opting for the upcoming course of your life. It is actually an opportunity for getting your senior portraits to ensure you may regularly remember your senior year in senior high school Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

While numerous senior high schools offer photography sessions specifically for their senior citizens, several teens and also their households determine to seek various other digital photographers for a broader wide array of images. High institutions might require particular postures and garments for featuring in the yearbook, but there are many various other reasons that a person would prefer other senior photos.

First, some universities require candidates to send out in a photo of themselves with their application. In this technique, the admittances committee may place a name along with a skin as effectively as recognize an individual's individualism. Second of all, several younger guys and also ladies possess to provide formal pictures of on their own when they make a decision to join fraternity and sorority hurries. Lastly, several secondary school elderly people decide to enclose their beloved try of themselves in their secondary school graduation announcements or invites.

The moment a senior picks the digital photographer, whether professional or amateur, he or she can take some steps to be sure that the pictures end up precisely how they prefer. You must be sure that you sit along with your professional photographer and also tell the individual what you are trying to find. In some cases, photographers are going to team up with you if you intend to take pictures inside or outdoors, or along with details props El Dorado Hills.

Taking pictures along with props is actually a wonderful technique to individualize an official image. It may help you reveal off your enthusiasms and also add a personal contact to your image. Numerous elders select to take some pictures in a sports attire as a way to bear in mind their time devoted improving a sporting activity. For instance, an enthusiastic pitcher may desire to take a photo containing a baseball bat and sphere. This performs not must be sporting activities, however. Various other enthusiasms could be represented also. For example, somebody that loves to coat may be actually captured with an easel while he or she is actually keeping a paintbrush Senior Portrait Photographers El Dorado Hills.

A freelance photographer is going to perhaps ask a person to take photos in a number of various postures to find the try that works for you. A senior ought to consider pictures standing up, resting, or maybe setting down on her stomach. Likewise, a senior may desire to take images both smiling and appearing major to get a wide array of different chances. The additional pictures you take, the even more odds you possess of locating the vision.

0 notes

simplemlmsponsoring · 5 years

Photo

New Post has been published on http://simplemlmsponsoring.com/attraction-marketing-formula/list-building/10-tips-for-attracting-last-minute-holiday-shoppers/

10 tips for attracting last-minute holiday shoppers

The last days leading up to the holidays may seem like a lull, but don’t be fooled. A rush of last-minute shoppers will soon be hitting the stores in search of holiday gifts. Make sure they visit your business with these fashionably late, but absolutely fabulous marketing tips:

1. Create a gift guide

Since time is of the essence, make it easy for harried shoppers to find the perfect gift with a handy gift guide. Create an email, blog post, web page or print marketing piece with gift ideas for everyone on their list (including fur babies).

Need a great gift that’s under $25? In the following example, Pottery Barn makes it easy for shoppers to find gifts at just the right price:

2. Try social media contests and giveaways

Sponsoring a holiday-focused contest isn’t just a great way to grab customers’ attention; it also helps you stay on their radars. In just minutes, you can launch a holiday campaign that rewards the winner with a freebie or major discount for last-minute shopping. Multiday giveaways — in which you give out prizes every day for the 12 days of Christmas, the 8 days of Hanukkah, the 13 days of Halloween and the like — also get the best engagement on Facebook because people keep coming back to enter.

Other fun contest ideas include asking customers to comment on what they’re thankful for and encouraging them to submit a photo that depicts their favorite holiday tradition. For example, Canadian Pacific Railways challenges passengers on its CP Holiday Train to snap a photo that captures the spirit of the holiday season. One lucky person wins a trip for four aboard the CP Holiday Train as well as a $1,000 donation to their local food bank.

3. Offer free shipping

Looking for a powerful way to drive sales? Offer free shipping. In Deloitte’s annual holiday survey, 88 percent of respondents said free shipping was more important than getting their packages quickly. You can also participate in Free Shipping Day, a promotional holiday held in mid-December. To observe it, simply offer free shipping on all orders (with no minimum purchase) with a guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Let customers know you’ll be offering this perk by spreading the word on social media: #FreeShippingDay.

4. Include gift recommendations

When tweaking your site for the last-minute rush, don’t forget to include related product recommendations for your shoppers. For example, if a customer is searching for a pizza stone, add a pizza mitt or other related products. It’ll make the shopping experience more convenient for them and help you upsell and cross-sell products with ease.

In the example below, Timmy the ThinkGeek monkey recommends out of this world fashions to customers who bought the Twinkling Stars Skirt.

5. Give back and get business

Give people a great reason to shop at your establishment by letting them know that you’ll donate a percentage of each sale to charity. This is a great way to drum up sales from last-minute shoppers and help them contribute to their favorite causes.

6. Have a flash sale

Generate excitement and immediate attention with an impromptu sale. Whether you promote your sale with a banner and balloons or send a quick, clever email, use your creativity to make your flash sale stand out. Also, keep it credible by making sure your sale only lasts one day.

GiftsForYouNow.com uses clever photography and a festive Flash Sale banner to capture attention.

In the example below, Urban Accents uses clever photography and a frightfully nice Flash Sale to whet customers’ appetites for spices and seasonings.

And in this enticing email from Bath & Body Works, the leaves open up to reveal a 30 percent discount.

7. Give the gift of knowledge

Include a free booklet or eBook with tips on how to make the most of their purchases. If you sell knives, for example, you can include a booklet on how to carve fruit and vegetables. You can create a booklet request form on your website; after the holidays, you can print and send booklets only to those who have requested them — a well-targeted audience.

8. Promote gift cards

For time-crunched shoppers especially, gift cards are a popular and speedy choice. In fact, more than half of shoppers plan to buy gift cards this holiday season. So, promote gift cards in your store and online.

Put up signs next to the cash register. Send emails to let people know about your gift card selection. Use social media to remind folks why gift cards make the perfect gift.

To make gift cards an even more appealing option for shoppers, offer festive gift card boxes or a bonus. For example, Marcus Theater came up with a creative way to make shoppers hungry for gift cards — free snack cash.

9. Show your spirit

Get customers in a holiday frame of mind by decking the halls of your business with boughs of holly, spooky spider webs and the like. Revamp your window displays and in-store displays to market your seasonal wares. Offer mulled cider, hot chocolate or a tasty holiday treat that shoppers can nibble on while they search for the perfect gift. And don’t forget to spruce up your business’ social media page and website with festive photos of you and your staff, special holiday promotions and gift ideas.

10. Make shopping as easy as (pumpkin) pie

Customers are in a hurry to finish their shopping, so make it quick and easy for them. If you have a brick-and-mortar business, you can arrange everything they need in one convenient spot: grab ‘n go gifts, greeting cards, gift tags, bags and a gift-wrapping service. Be sure to organize your online storefront, too.

Walgreens shows shoppers just how easy their last-minute shopping can be in the example below:

It’s never too late to dazzle last-minute shoppers with attention-getting marketing and irresistible deals. So, leave the sugar plum dreams to your competition and kick up your promotions for a merry, bright and profitable holiday season.

Join 140,000 small business owners Get expert tips and email inspiration delivered to your inbox every two weeks.

The post 10 tips for attracting last-minute holiday shoppers appeared first on VerticalResponse Blog.